THE  CHALLENGE 


WARREN  CHENEY     *• 


UN       BANCROFT       IA 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE  CHALLENGE 


He  kept  his  gaze  fixed  as  before  and  pointed         See  p 


THE   CHALLENGE 


By 
WARREN  CHENEY 

Author  of 
The  Way  of  the  North,  etc. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

N.  C.  WYETH 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT  1906 
THE  BOBBS-MERRIU,  COMPANY 

MARCH 


PRESS  OF 

BRAUNWORTH  &  CO. 

BOOKBINDERS  AND  PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 


TO  MY  WIFE 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  THE  SECRET  OP  THE  BAY  ......  1 

II  IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST 13 

III  THE  PRIEST'S  SON 39 

IV  THE  PRIEST'S  SON  Is  BURIED           .        .        .        .  59 
V  SIMEON,  THE  PRIEST,  FINDS  A  MISSION    ...  88 

VI  THE  RINGING  OP  THE  BELL      r.        .        .        .        .    110 

VII  IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY 137 

VIII  VARENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC          .        .        .        .174 

IX  THE  WOOING  OF  MOTRYA 196 

X  PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT 225 

XI  THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK    ...        .        .253 
XII  THE  PASSING  OP  MIKHAIL         ,  .     *       *        .        .    279 

XIII  LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH 306 

XIV  THE  FLIGHT 335 

XV  THB  GRIP  OF  THE  DRAW   ......    353 

XVI  IVAN  is  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK 367 


THE  CHALLENGE 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE  CHALLENGE 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  SECEET  OF  THE  BAY 

Because  they  are  benighted  and  still  believe 
in  ghosts,  the  Alaskan  natives  never  pass  by 
night  through  the  long  arm  of  Ltua  Bay  that 
is  its  sole  connection  with  the  sea.  And  be- 
cause in  that  far  northern  place  for  half  the 
year  the  time  is  mostly  night,  until  the  Rus- 
sians came  the  bay  lacked  much  of  its  full  share 
of  human  use  and  occupancy. 

The  Russians,  perhaps,  were  as  superstitious 
as  the  brown  men  they  found  in  the  new  place, 
but  the  feeling  moved  them  in  a  different  way. 
They  admired  the  bay's  long  entrance  channel, 
smooth  and  straight  as  the  trunks  of  the  yellow 
firs  along  its  banks ;  they  were  grateful  for  the 
quiet  of  the  inner  harbor  space ;  they  marveled 
at  the  even  way  in  which  the  basin  had  been 
hollowed  out  on  either  side  of  the  entering  stem 
like  the  arms  of  a  great  T ;  but  most  of  all  they 
read  a  superstitious  meaning  in  the  outline  of 

i 


2  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  harbor  as  a  whole.  To  them  it  was  a  gi- 
gantic cross  of  water  laid  upon  the  land,  and, 
with  the  pleasing  arrogance  of  the  Russian 
mind,  they  made  sure  to  themselves  that  it  was 
a  sign  that  God  vouchsafed  to  them  a  shelter  in 
this  inhospitable  land  and  looked  with  favor  on 
their  somewhat  doubtful  schemes. 

In  grounds  for  conviction  about  the  place  the 
natives  had  logically  the  better  point.  The 
Russians  claimed  no  basis  for  their  superstition 
other  than  their  hope.  The  natives  could  de- 
fend their  case  with  a  grim  record  of  the  un- 
fortunates of  their  kind  who  had  set  out  to  run 
the  channel  from  the  harbor  to  its  mouth  and 
had  not  come  back  again.  Somewhere  between 
these  two  points  they  and  their  boats  had  been 
spirited  away,  and  this  as  often  in  clear  weather 
as  in  foul.  It  stood  to  reason,  therefore,  that 
the  ghosts  of  these  lost  ones  might  well  be 
lingering  permanently  thereabouts. 

The  Russians  listened  lightly  to  these  stories 
and  said  to  each  other  that  the  natives  lied. 
But  they  could  not  so  dispose  of  the  records  left 
by  La  Perouse,  the  adventurous  Frenchman  who 
discovered  the  bay  in  1786,  and  whose  statement, 
embodied  on  a  monument  there,  went  to  show 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  BAY  3 

that  the  reports  of  the  grim  disappearances 
of  the  channel  were  of  a  surety  true.  His  in- 
scription chronicled  that  on  a  certain  dreadful 
day  two  of  his  boats  with  twenty  of  his  men  had 
dropped  down  from  the  landing  to  take  sound- 
ings at  the  harbor 's  mouth.  The  sea  was  smooth 
and  the  morning  clear  and  there  was  nothing  in 
earth,  or  air  or  sky,  to  speak  of  danger  or  to 
give  alarm.  The  boats  were  seen  to  pass  in  be- 
tween the  low  cliffs  that  stand  on  either  side  of 
the  passage  gate — and  that  was  all.  They  did 
not  reach  the  open  sea  and  they  did  not  come 
back  to  port  again. 

The  people  sent  in  search  of  them  passed 
without  adventure  and  in  safety  through  the 
mouth  of  the  runway  and  out  to  the  open  water 
beyond.  But  the  two  boats  with  their  load 
of  human  freight  that  had  gone  before  them 
had,  in  the  same  distance,  in  some  occult  way, 
vanished  completely.  Only,  the  next  day,  just 
within  the  heads  on  the  northern  side,  they 
found  two  bodies  traveling  round  and  round  and 
spinning  upon  the  shoals  like  fish  at  play ;  and 
so,  without  much  thought,  they  divined  the  fate 
that  had  come  to  all  the  rest. 

But  the  Russians  who  profited  by  La  Pe- 


4  THE  CHALLENGE 

rouse's  discovery  and  two  years  later  took  pos- 
session of  the  bay,  were  wholly  of  the  promysh- 
leniki,  the  soldier  hunters,  on  whose  hardihood 
and  strength  of  arm  the  great  Fur  Company 
depended  to  collect  its  pelts  and  to  spread  and 
hold  its  sway.  These  men  cared  little  for  the 
good  or  bad  reputation  of  a  place  so  long  as  it 
afforded  proper  shelter  and  abounded  plenti- 
fully in  the  fur-bearing  animals  of  which  they 
were  in  search.  They  accepted  both  the  na- 
tives' tales,  which  they  did  not  believe,  and  the 
tragedy  of  La  Perouse,  which  they  could  not 
deny  was  true,  with  little  more  than  a  feeling 
of  curiosity  over  a  state  of  affairs  they  could  not 
understand. 

In  time,  more  than  one  of  these  doubters  gave 
his  life  to  the  firmer  establishment  of  the  tradi- 
tion of  strange  disappearance  that  had  fixed  it- 
self about  the  channel's  lower  end.  These  men 
went  out  of  the  fellowship  about  them  in  the 
same  unexpected  and  unceremonious  way,  with- 
out a  word  to  point  out  why  or  whither  they  had 
gone.  Worse  than  that,  in  each  case,  they  took 
with  them  in  their  flitting  such  of  the  company's 
guns  and  boats  as  they  had  with  them  at  the 
time  they  disappeared. 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  BAY  5 

The  men  themselves  might  have  passed  and 
occasioned  small  remark;  but  the  loss  of  the 
property  of  the  company  was  another  and  more 
serious  thing.  And  so  from  Kadiak  the  order 
came  definitely  that  the  matter  should  be  ob- 
served until  the  mystery  of  these  sudden  goings 
was  unraveled  and  made  plain. 

Thus  watched,  the  place  gave  up  its  secret — 
or  at  least  such  part  of  it  as  made  it  possible 
to  guard  the  company  from  further  loss.  For 
twenty  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  the  chan- 
nel proved  as  free  from  treachery  as  was  pro- 
fessed by  the  smooth  promise  of  its  face.  But 
twice  in  the  twenty-four,  there  came  a  time 
when  to  venture  on  it  presaged  certain  death. 

At  a  point  some  hundred  yards  inside  its 
mouth,  where  on  either  side  high  cliffs  rose  up 
perpendicularly  from  the  sea,  at  the  moment  of 
high  water,  when  the  tide  was  at  its  supreme 
depth,  with  the  first  turn  toward  the  ebb  there 
began  to  run  toward  the  cliff  on  the  northern 
shore  a  swift  and  sudden  current.  There  was 
no  great  disturbance  of  the  surface  of  the  sea 
except  that  in  front  of  the  cliff  the  water  began 
to  stir  uneasily  and  eddied  and  bubbled  as  if 
about  to  boil.  But  any  ill-fated  thing  caught 


6  THE  CHALLENGE 

within  the  circle  of  that  magic  draw,  turned 
from  its  course  with  quickening  speed  and 
moved  with  irresistible  motion  in  toward  the 
central  whirl.  Once  there,  it  paused  for  a 
breathless  moment,  balancing  itself  as  if  in 
dizzy  preparation  for  the  plunge,  and  then  set- 
tled slowly  down  with  the  suck  of  the  vortex 
beneath  it  and  so  disappeared  for  ever  in  the 
waves.  But  in  an  hour  the  whirling  ceased,  the 
tide  ran  out  in  quite  the  ordinary  way  and  the 
channel  was  again  as  safe  and  smiling  as  be- 
fore. 

These  were  the  things  the  watchers  saw  and 
therefore  the  portion  of  the  water's  secret  they 
came  to  understand.  The  remainder  of  the  rid- 
dle— the  reason  for  this  strange  condition  and 
why  this  gigantic  trap  was  thus  set  twice  daily 
— was  something  they  never  sought  to  solve. 
Whether  it  was  due  to  the  tide,  or  malformation 
of  the  rocky  channel  floor,  or,  more  likely,  the 
presence  of  some  hidden  under-channel  running 
to  the  sea  which  filled  at  the  great  tides  until 
it  siphoned  out  to  make  the  sudden  draw,  it  was 
beyond  their  ken  or  care ;  and,  for  that  matter, 
has  remained  so  to  this  day. 

It  was  enough  for  them  that  the  thing  was 


THE  SECEET  OF  THE  BAY  7 

there,  yet  could  be  trusted  to  confine  its  mis- 
chief to  the  times  of  turning  tides.  So  they 
used  the  channel  at  all  other  times  without 
fear,  and  through  it  the  company's  property 
came  to  no  further  loss.  But  the  natives,  be- 
ing superstitious,  put  small  faith  in  the  explana- 
tions that  they  heard  and  continued  to  use  the 
outlet  in  the  day  alone. 

But  at  the  determined  times,  there  was  no 
doubt  as  to  the  channel's  danger  for  both  brown 
men  and  white,  and  it  was  the  conviction  of 
this  truth  that  made  it  impossible  for  Mikhail 
Etolin,  the  lieutenant  in  charge  of  the  sum- 
mer post,  to  sit  comfortably  at  table  while  it 
was  on  his  mind;  and  which  took  him  out  of 
the  coolness  of  the  barrack  building  at  the  un- 
usual hour  of  noon. 

,  He  stood  for  a  moment  outside  the  door,  pant- 
ing discontentedly  in  the  humid  heat  and  gazing 
interrogatively  around  the  place  with  his  fat, 
half-closed  eyes.  Then,  with  a  grunt  of  satis- « 
faction,  he  located  what  he  had  sought  to  find, 
and,  holding  up  his  hat  so  the  air  circulated 
under  it  as  he  walked,  he  set  out  at  a  leisurely 
pace  and  went  shambling  slowly  toward  the 
beach. 


8  THE  CHALLENGE 

There  was  but  one  person  at  the  landing,  a 
young  man  of  perhaps  twenty-five  or  six,  who 
sat  comfortably  in  the  shadow  of  a  boat  that 
had  been  overturned  just  out  of  reach  of  the 
tide.  His  tools  lay  near  him  on  the  ground  and 
he  was  busying  himself  with  the  consumption 
of  a  large  piece  of  bread  and  a  strip  of  brown 
dried  fish.  He  paused  in  his  occupation  as  the 
officer  approached  and  saluted  him  with  the 
hand  that  held  the  bread. 

"Well,  your  Well-born,"  he  said  good-humor- 
edly,  "are  you  trying  to  find  a  spot  that  will  be 
more  cool?" 

"Akh!"  returned  the  officer  when  he  got  his 
breath,  "God  never  made  a  country  such  as 
this !  To  believe  it  would  be  to  make  heathen 
of  us  all. ' '  His  voice  was  wheezy  and  he  wiped 
the  perspiration  from  his  forehead  as  he  spoke. 
The  younger  man  laughed  and  gave  a  little 
shrug  to  his  shoulders. 

"You  should  not  be  so  fat,  Mikhail  Sergeie- 
vitch,"  he  said  mockingly. 

"If  I  had  been  thin,"  returned  the  officer  with 
a  sorrowful  shake  of  his  head,  "I  should  never 
have  left  Eussia  for  service  in  this  God-for- 
saken place!" 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  BAY  9 

' '  That  was  sheer  vanity,  your  Well-born, ' '  re- 
plied the  young  man  lightly,  "and  deserves  no 
sympathy  at  all." 

"Vanity  or  no  vanity,"  said  the  fat  man 
testily,  "it  was  as  good  a  reason  for  coming  as 
chagrin  at  being  flouted  by  a  girl. ' '  The  young 
man  flushed  consciously  and  looked  quickly  at 
Mikhail  Etolin  as  if  about  to  answer  the  chal- 
lenge thus  advanced. 

"There  was  no  trouble  with  the  girl — "  he 
began  hastily  and  then,  as  his  discretion  got 
the  better  of  his  eagerness,  he  stopped.  He 
paused  for  an  instant  while  his  self-control 
came  back.  Then,  turning  to  the  other  with  his 
former  smile,  he  said  quietly :  "It  will  be  cooler 
soon.  It  is  already  thickening  out  there  in  the 
west." 

Mikhail  Etolin  let  his  glance  run  out  along 
the  channel  until  it  rested  on  the  open  sea. 
Near  in,  the  air  was  clear  and  the  water  re- 
flected sharply  the  bright  noonday  light;  but 
off  to  the  west  there  was  no  decisive  line  where 
the  sky  and  water  met.  The  perspective  faded 
out  across  the  tops  of  the  lazy  swells  into  an 
ultimate  gray  blur  that  had  about  it  the  pre- 
monition of  growth  and  movement  which  sailors 


10  THE  CHALLENGE 

say  betokens  wind.  He  considered  a  moment  in 
silence. 

"Fog,"  he  said  finally,  with  an  air  of  con- 
viction. "It  is  time  for  the  change,  though. 
This  is  the  third  day.  You  may  get  it,"  he 
added  meditatively,  "before  you  speak  the  boat, 
but  it  will  not  reach  us,  probably,  until  to- 
night." The  young  man  gathered  himself  and 
sat  up  with  sudden  interest. 

"What  boat?"  he  said  expectantly. 

"The  lookout  has  reported  one  as  coming 
from  the  north."  The  young  man  got  quickly 
to  his  feet  and  shaded  his  eyes  with  his  hand. 

"I  do  not  see  it,"  he  said,  gazing  intently  up 
along  the  coast.  "And  anyway,  it  is  not  time 
for  the  regular  boat." 

"That  is  what  troubles  me.  It  must  be  from 
Yakutat,  yet  it  may  have  people  in  it  who  do 
not  know  the  danger  of  the  bay.  You  can  not 
see  it  yet.  It  was  beyond  the  headland  and 
close  in  to  the  shore,  I  think  you  had  better 
go  out  to  meet  it  and  see  that  they  do  not  try 
to  come  in  through  the  channel  while  the  tide  is 
on  the  turn."  The  young  man  went  down 
toward  the  beach  to  where  he  could  measure  the 
wet  strip  with  his  eye. 


THE  SECRET  OF  THE  BAY         11 

" There  is  no  hurry,"  he  said  coolly,  as  he 
came  back.  "It  is  fully  two  hours  yet  before 
the  turn." 

"Suit  yourself  as  to  that,  Ivan  Egorovitch," 
replied  the  officer  with  his  customary  shrug. 
"Only  do  not  forget  and  arrive  beyond  the 
need." 

"I  will  not,"  replied  the  other  positively,  and 
Mikhail  Sergeievitch,  with  a  sigh  of  self-pity 
for  the  new  exertion  he  must  make,  turned  him- 
self about  and  began  slowly  to  climb  the  hill. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  him  for  a  moment  with 
indecision  in  his  face.  Then  he  went  swiftly 
after  him  along  the  path. 

"Mikhail  Sergeievitch,"  he  said  humbly,  "I 
am  sorry  that  I  disturbed  you  by  saying  that 
you  were  fat."  The  officer  paused  and  looked 
around  at  him,  his  puffy  face  wrinkling  good- 
naturedly  into  a  smile. 

' '  And  how  about  the  girl  ? "  he  panted.  *  '  Am 
I  to  ask  you  also  to  forget?"  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch's  face  flushed,  but  his  voice  remained 
steady  as  before. 

"That  is  why  I  came,"  he  said  quietly.  "I 
myself  had  already  forgotten  about  the  mat- 
ter and  I  wanted  to  say  that  it  would  be  bet- 


12  THE  CHALLENGE 

ter  if  you  forgot  it,  too. ' '  He  did  not  wait  for 
further  answer,  but  turned  on  his  heel  and  went 
swiftly  back  toward  the  beach.  Mikhail  Etolin 
stood  still  and  watched  him2  with  the  twinkle 
still  shining  in  his  eyes. 

"  Akh !  what  a  thing  it  is  to  be  young  and  able 
to  forget  like  that!"  he  chuckled.  "It  is  not 
all  of  us  who  can  set  a  thing  aside  and  yet  keep 
it  so  surely  with  us  all  the  time.  It  is  magnifi- 
cent ! 9  9  He  shook  his  head  and  grinned  again  to 
emphasize  his  enjoyment  and  continued  so  to 
nod  and  chuckle  to  himself  at  intervals  until  he 
had  traversed  the  whole  space  that  had  sepa- 
rated him  from  his  house  upon  the  hill. 


CHAPTEB  II 

IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST 

In  spite  of  his  feeling  of  self -certainty,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  went  about  his  mission  with  an  un- 
easy mind.  As  he  sent  his  boat  skimming  over 
the  dimpling  water  of  the  runway,  he  put  reso- 
lutely from  him  the  thought  of  the  old  trouble 
that  Mikhail  Etolin  had  called  back,  and  let  his 
eyes  take  as  eagerly  the  familiar  details  of  earth 
and  sea  and  sky  as  if  there  had  been  no  other 
themes  of  interest  in  life. 

At  the  great  draw  he  pulled  the  boat  across 
to  the  northern  wall  and  set  himself  to  look 
down  industriously  into  the  depths  of  the  blue 
water,  as  if  in  belief,  by  some  sudden  compre- 
hension, to  surprise  the  unwilling  secret  of  the 
place.  It  was  a  spot  that  always  held  a  fascina- 
tion for  him,  with  its  sunlighted  waters  and 
sinister  threat  of  a  relentless  treachery,  against 
the  exercise  of  which  it  seemed  so  humanly  to 
bide  its  time. 

13 


14  THE  CHALLENGE 

This  done,  he  paddled  on  lazily  to  the  chan- 
nel's very  mouth,  and  landing,  tied  his  hoat  and 
climbed  the  low  cliff  to  the  rocky  point  on  the 
southern  shore  which  commanded  the  best  view 
of  the  open  sea.  There  was  yet  not  even  a  dis- 
tant speck  to  show  a  boat  in  the  northern 
offing,  and  after  a  moment's  gaze  that  took 
in  the  empty  waters,  the  abrupt  and  somber 
cliff  line  with  its  effeminate  cap  of  green,  and 
the  vague  spread  of  mist  along  the  western 
horizon,  which,  even  while  he  was  coming,  had 
grown  and  risen  till  it  stood  well  overhead,  he 
settled  himself  at  the  edge  of  the  grassy  plateau, 
to  lie  at  length  and  await  in  patience  the  com- 
ing of  the  vessel  that  he  sought. 

The  North  is  never  more  attractive  than  at 
this  culminating  season  of  its  growth.  The 
reckless  summer  crowds  into  its  ephemeral  day 
a  display  that  would  serve  for  months  of  deco- 
ration in  a  slower  clime.  In  six  short  weeks 
from  frost,  the  April  grass,  the  flowers  of  June, 
and  the  full  completion  of  brown  seeds  and  pods 
come  and  pass  in  turn,  and  the  sun  gathers  in 
the  breathless  air  the  warmth  and  languor  of  a 
tropic  coast. 

But  the  softness  of  the  North  is  not  a  soft- 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  15 

ness  that  inspires  trust.  There  is  the  charm, 
the  promise  and  the  wonderful  show  of  peace ; 
but  behind  the  flowery  perfection  there  is  al- 
ways a  suggestion  of  the  grim  and  wintry  deso- 
lation that  is  its  primal  heritage  and  part — 
the  pricking  in  the  velvet  that  tells  of  the  Ijidden 
claws. 

The  riot  of  summer  green  lay  on,  but  did 
not  entirely  hide,  the  sharp  and  haggard  outline 
of  the  coast.  The  birds,  cheerful  enough  at 
morning  and  at  night,  were  chary  of  disturbing 
the  close  noonday  hush,  and  the  few  songs  that 
persisted  served  rather  to  accentuate  the  de- 
pressing silence  that  at  all  times  hangs  like  a 
shadow  on  the  land.  It  was  the  sun,  not  the 
earth,  that  was  debonair  and  kind,  and  in  the 
shade  and  close  to  the  ground,  there  lurked  even 
in  the  noontide  the  dismaying  certainty  of 
cold. 

Five  years  in  the  company's  service  had  ac- 
complished for  Ivan  Egorovitch  a  full  familiar- 
ity with  these  things,  and  it  may  be  that  in  ordi- 
nary hours  they  would  have  brought  to  him  no 
thought.  But  it  is  a  different  thing  when  a  man 
finds  again  at  heart  a  pain  that  he  believed 
had  been  completely  overcome.  He  had  no 


16  THE  CHALLENGE 

mind  to  give  up  to  it  as  he  lay  and  smoked  and 
resentfully  felt  it  stir  him  there  within.  It  was 
an  uncomfortable  fact  and  an  ever-present  one 
down  in  his  subconsciousness,  and  his  tilt  with 
Mikhail  Etolin  had  set  the  current  bubbling  up- 
ward again  irrepressibly  toward  the  light.  He 
could  not  himself  have  told  where  the  conscious 
resistance  weakened  and  the  unwelcome  pres- 
sure gained  the  upper  hand.  But  in  the  end, 
the  quiet  of  the  place,  the  melancholy  wash  of 
the  surf,  and  the  chill  that  came  up  through  the 
grass  roots  from  the  frozen  ground  beneath,  had 
their  way  with  him,  and  with  a  shiver  he  let 
his  mind  come  squarely  round  to  the  thing  he 
had  set  aside. 

What  did  he  have  in  life  that  really  counted 
for  him  in  the  end?  "Was  it  home?  In  answer 
there  came  up  before  him  in  sardonic  vision, 
his  bare  barrack  room,  scantily  furnished  with 
chair  and  table,  and  in  a  corner  the  pile  of 
tumbled  covers  that  he  called  a  bed.  Was  it 
friends?  Who,  now  that  Stepan  Skuratof,  his 
blood-brother,  had  been  moved  to  Yakutat,  was 
there  at  Ltua  to  answer  to  the  name?  No  one 
but  the  dog  he  had  raised  and  the  tame  gull 
with  the  broken  wing  that  came  to  him  when  it 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  17 

needed  to  be  fed.  "Was  it  advancement?  He 
had  been  in  the  service  now  five  years  and  in 
that  time  the  lieutenant  had  given  him  practi- 
cally no  assignment  more  important  than  to 
mix  the  sour  dough  for  the  mess  Jcvass. 

With  a  sigh  of  unreasoning  impatience,  he 
reached  his  hand  out,  and  drawing  down  a 
branch  of  a  bush  there  by  his  head,  he  began 
to  strip  it  of  its  leaves  and  flowers.  Why  had 
these  things  all  come  to  pass  ?  And  as  if  in  an- 
swer, there  came  to  him  the  vision  of  a  dark, 
girlish  face,  a  stir  of  garments  and  the  warm 
touch  of  a  hand. 

There  was  no  bitterness  for  him  in  the  recol- 
lection, for  as  he  told  Mikhail  Sergeievitch,  in 
his  relation  with  the  girl  it  had  not  been  she 
who  was  at  fault.  She  had  been  more  than 
kind  and  to  his  glances  had  lifted  honest  eyes. 
It  was  her  father  who  had  interfered  and,  like 
a  laggard  lover,  under  the  pressure  of  parental 
disapproval,  without  a  declaration,  he  had  let 
himself  be  pushed  aside. 

This  had  been  the  beginning  of  his  drifting,, 
and  when,  two  years  later,  the  girl  had  married 
another  man,  he  had  cut  loose  entirely  from 
his  native  place  and  wandered  farther  and  far- 


18  THE  CHALLENGE 

ther  to  the  east  until  at  last  he  had  drifted  to 
this  ultimate  Eussian  shore. 

"I  should  have  stayed!''  he  said  to  himself 
with  a  sudden  sick  distaste.  Eaising  himself  on 
his  elbow,  he  reached  forward  and  broke  off  the 
branch  he  had  been  stripping  and  looked  it  over 
critically  from  end  to  end.  The  movement  was 
unconscious,  for  his  mind  was  still  filled  with  a 
dull  resentment  at  the  loneliness  of  his  daily 
life,  and  the  worst  of  it  was  there  seemed  to 
open  for  him  naturally  no  definite  avenue 
toward  its  escape.  He  could  not  go  back  to  the 
girl  he  had  left,  because  she  was  already  mar- 
ried to  another  man.  The  chance  of  finding 
another,  should  he  venture  to  return,  seemed 
despairingly  remote,  and  here  in  the  new  settle- 
ment there  was  small  opportunity  unless  he 
chose  to  take  a  native,  for  a  wife. 

He  laughed  aloud  when  he  first  thought  of 
this  alternative.  Then  he  remembered  the 
house  of  Gavril  Eudnef ,  who  had  taken  to  him- 
self in  permanence  a  Thlinkeet  wife  and  whose 
comfort  was  the  envy  of  every  hunter  of  the 
post.  His  was  a  clean  home  and  cheerful,  and 
the  woman  seemed  not  to  require  beating  more 
often  than  if  she  had  been  white. 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  19 

"They  are  not  so  bad,  the  brown  ones!"  he 
said  softly  to  himself.  He  laughed  again  as 
the  humor  of  the  thing  came  home  to  him  and 
rolled  himself  over  on  his  face. 

"I'll  gamble  on  it,"  he  exclaimed  gleefully. 
"Both  ways  shall  have  a  chance."  He  sat  up 
and  reached  for  another  branch  on  which  were 
still  open  flowers.  "I  will  do  as  the  girls  do," 
he  said  to  himself,  "and  pull  the  petals  for  a 
choice. ' ' 

But  as  he  settled  himself  for  a  decision,  he 
chanced  to  raise  his  eyes  above  the  low  shrub- 
bery about  him,  and,  gazing  out  to  sea,  saw  that 
the  boat  he  sought  had  come  into  sight  while 
he  had  been  idling  and  was  already  fairly  close 
at  hand. 

His  mood  changed  on  the  moment  and  he  got 
eagerly  to  his  feet.  The  strange  vessel  was 
a  large  one  and  from  the  speed  it  made  he  sur- 
mised it  was  racing  with  the  fog  in  the  attempt 
to  reach  the  harbor  before  the  bank  of  cloud 
should  cover  it  and  so  shut  out  the  outline  of 
the  coast. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  the  craft  specu- 
latively  for  a  moment  and  then  made  ready  to 
go  down  to  his  boat.  The  excitement  brought 


20  THE  CHALLENGE 

back  to  him  his  usual  poise  and  he  forgot  the 
depression  that  had  so  lately  weighed  him  down. 
But  before  going,  he  stooped  and  broke  from 
the  bush  an  armful  of  the  blossoming  branches 
he  had  picked  before,  and,  carrying  them  with 
him,  he  threw  them  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 

"You  lie  there,"  he  said  with  a  laugh. 
' '  There  is  no  time  now,  but  when  there  is  leisure, 
we  shall  have  our  test." 

The  tide  was  almost  at  the  full  and  he  knew 
that  the  coming  boat  must  wait  until  the  lower- 
ing of  the  water  put  an  end  to  the  great  draw. 
It  must  surely  come  in  to  him  where  he  was  and 
his  first  impulse  was  to  wait.  But  his  curiosity 
was  the  stronger  prick,  and,  getting  into  the 
boat,  he  cast  off  and  pulled  impatiently  out  into 
the  open  sea.  From  time  to  time  he  stopped 
and  rose  in  his  place  to  see  that  his  course  was 
shaped  to  intercept  the  stranger  craft.  At  first 
he  saw  it  clearly  as  it  rose  on  the  higher  swells, 
but  it  was  not  long  before  a  whirl  of  mist  swept 
over  it  and  he  could  only  guess  how  near  to  it 
he  was. 

When  he,  too,  reached  the  fog-line,  and  the 
gray  cloud  shut  away  the  sun,  he  stirred  him- 
self more  strongly  lest  the  bidarka  should  miss 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  21 

him  and  slip  by  unobserved.  He  stopped  row- 
ing and,  raising  himself  upon  his  knees,  listened, 
intently  for  some  sound  that  should  signal  its 
approach.  It  was  still  too  far  away,  however, 
and  after  a  moment's  waiting,  he  put  his  hands 
to  his  lips  and  through  them  called  aloud. 

The  sound  was  scarcely  still  when  out  of  the 
distance  there  came  a  faint  but  unmistakable 
reply.  Shouting  an  answer,  Ivan  Egorovitch 
seized  his  oars  and  sent  the  boat  in  the  direc- 
tion from  which  the  sound  had  come.  He  con- 
tinued to  call  at  intervals  and  turned  his  course 
to  suit  the  answering  shout.  His  ear  was  good, 
and  he  felt  without  seeing  that  the  two  boats 
were  slowly  but  surely  converging. 

When  it  did  come,  the  great  canoe  burst  on 
him  out  of  the  mist  with  a  suddenness  that  was 
wholly  a  surprise.  It  looked  so  big  in  the  fog 
and  towered  so  above  him  as  it  came,  that  Ivan 
Egorovitch  involuntarily  checked  his  course  and 
backed  away  that  it  should  not  run  him  down. 

The  people  on  it  saw  him  almost  as  he  dis- 
covered them  and,  with  a  final  shout  of  greet- 
ing, threw  him  a  rope  with  which  to  draw  him- 
self alongside.  It  was  a  row  of  strange  faces 
which  looked  down  on  him,  but  among  them 


22  THE  CHALLENGE 

almost  at  once  lie  caught  one  that  was  as  fa- 
miliar to  him  as  his  own.  He  threw  up  his 
hands  with  a  little  shout  of  joy. 

"Stepan  Dmitrievitch V '  he  cried,  "are  you 
indeed  come  back? ' '  He  awaited  no  further  in- 
vitation, but,  standing  up,  caught  at  the  gun- 
wale of  the  bidarka  and  hoisted  himself  uncere- 
moniously aboard.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  seized 
him  as  he  came  over  the  rail,  and,  wrapping  his 
arms  about  him,  kissed  him  vigorously  on  each 
cheek. 

"I  thought  it  would  be  you,"  he  said  ex- 
citedly, "if  only  that  it  was  you  I  wished  most 
eagerly  to  see." 

"I  had  given  you  up,"  replied  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  simply.  ' l  They  told  me  you  were  to  stay  at 
iYakutat  for  the  construction  of  the  sleds." 

"Sol  was,  but  the  order  came  to  make  Ltua 
an  all-year  station  from  this  time.  The  people 
and  the  things  were  too  much  for  the  regular 
boat  and  the  galiot  that  brought  them  stopped 
only  to  discharge  before  turning  back.  All  must 
be  sent  and  I  was  the  only  other  man  who  knew 
the  entrance  to  the  bay." 

"That  is  why  I  came.  The  fat  one  sent  me 
to  warn  you  of  the  tide. ' ' 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST:  23 

"How  is  it?    Can  we  go  in?" 

"Not  for  a  space.  It  is  almost  at  the  full." 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  shrugged  his  shoulders 
with  a  sudden  discontent. 

"It  will  be  an  hour,  then,  at  the  least.  But," 
he  added  joyously,  "I  shall  not  care,  now  that 
I  have  you."  They  still  stood  with  hands 
clasped,  gazing  like  children  into  each  other's 
eyes. 

"The  place — "  cried  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  im- 
patiently. "Tell  me  about  the  place!"  Ivan 
Egorovitch  laughed. 

"There  is  not  much  to  tell,"  he  said,  "though 
it  has  been  so  long.  The  fat  one  is  good-na- 
tured if  he  is  not  seriously  crossed ;  Luka  Odint- 
zof  has  engaged  a  new  wife  for  the  coming 
year ;  Vassili  Leskin  has  had  the  scurvy  and  will 
lose  his  legs;  and  Moissei  Gvosdef — the  little 
man — is  dead."  The  light  went  out  of  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch 's  face  and  he  looked  from  side  to 
side  to  see  if  any  one  had  overheard. 

1 '  Dead ! "  he  said,  < '  Moissei  Gvosdef  I  Speak 
lower.  His  father  is  here  with  me  on  the 
boat." 

"His  father!" 

"Yes.    He  is  a  priest  and  was  sent  out  for 


24  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  permanent  camp. ' '  Ivan  Egorovitch  scorn- 
fully shook  his  head. 

"It  is  hard  to  believe,"  he  said,  "that  Moissei 
Gvosdef  would  be  missed  by  any  one." 

"He  is  his  father,"  replied  the  other  reprov- 
ingly, "and  he  has  talked  much  of  him  on  the 
way. ' ' 

"And  did  you  not  tell  him  the  truth!" 

"Why  should  II  How  did  the  man  come  to 
die?" 

"I  do  not  know.  It  only  happened  yester- 
day. Eustrate  Polutof  and  Ivan  Paxin  brought 
him  in  and  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  told  them  not 
to  say.  They  will  bury  him  to-night. ' '  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  raised  his  eyebrows  in  significant 
understanding. 

"The  fat  one  never  liked  him,"  he  said 
soberly,  "but  I  scarcely  thought  it  would  come 
to  that!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders in  his  turn. 

"It  may  not  be,"  he  answered.  "There  was 
no  one  among  us  sufficiently  his  friend  to  care 
to  take  the  matter  up." 

"Well,"  said  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  softly, 
"violence  or  no  violence,  it  is  good  for  the  set- 
tlement that  he  is  dead." 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  25 

"He  was  a  cur!"  burst  out  Ivan  Egorovitch, 
and  spat  vigorously  into  the  sea.  ' '  Is  the  father 
like  him?"  he  asked. 

"I  can  not  tell,"  said  Stepan  Dmitrievitch. 
"I  have  not  seen  enough  of  him  to  know.  If 
you  want  to  break  the  news  to  him,  I  will  have 
him  called. ' '  He  made  a  movement  as  if  to  go 
forward  among  the  men,  but  Ivan  Egorovitch 
caught  him  by  the  arm. 

"Wait!"  he  said.  "I  did  not  come  here  to 
bring  bad  news.  Let  him  learn  it  when  he  gets 
ashore."  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  paused  obedi- 
ently and  opened  his  mouth  to  speak;  but  be- 
fore the  word  was  out  there  was  an  interrup- 
tion that  drove  the  matter  from  his  mind.  It 
was  a  girPs  voice,  soft  and  pleasant,  coming 
from  beyond  them  at  the  stern. 

"There  are  flowers  in  that  boat,  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch,"  it  said  reproachfully.  "Why 
have  you  not  had  them  brought  on  board?" 
Both  men  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  sound 
and  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  spoke,  but  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch did  not  hear  him  and  stood  looking  at  the 
girl  as  if  he  had  seen  a  ghost. 

"Varenka!"  he  said  under  his  breath,  and 
the  exclamation  had  in  it  both  a  protest  and  a 


26  THE  CHALLENGE 

call;  "Varenka!"  He  stood  for  full  a  minute 
looking  at  her  in  the  same  incredulous  surprise. 
Then,  as  if  bent  on  proving  the  reality  of  her 
physical  presence  there  before  him,  he  went 
toward  her,  stepping  cautiously  and  without 
taking  his  eyes  an  instant  from  her  face. 

' '  Varenka ! "  he  ejaculated  wonderingly,  ' '  is  it 
really  you?"  The  girl  was  visibly  startled  and 
drew  back  from  him  with  an  air  of  suspicion 
and  surprise.  But  at  the  name,  she  raised  her 
eyes  to  his  in  puzzled  inquiry  that  grew  to  com- 
prehension as  she  recognized  who  he  was. 

"Why,  it  is  Ivan  Nilof !"  she  said  eagerly. 
"Do  you  not  know  me!  I  am  not  Varenka, 
but  Motrya — and  you  did  not  know!"  He 
took  the  hands  she  offered,  but  stood  stupidly 
gazing  at  her  with  the  same  devouring  eyes. 
The  girl  grew  conscious  under  the  hungry  look 
and  the  color  began  to  rise  and  flutter  in  her 
cheeks. 

"Motrya — "  he  began  unsteadily,  "you  can 
not  be  Motrya.  She  was  a  child!"  The  girl's 
eyes  lighted  into  laughter  and  she  shook  him 
impatiently  by  the  hands. 

"And  how  many  years  is  it,  Ivan  Egorovitch, 
since  you  knew  me  as  a  child?" 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  27 

"True,"  he  said  slowly,  "it  is  a  long  time. 
But  if  you  are  Motrya,  why  do  you  look  so 
exactly  as  Varenka  used  to  look?" 

"Is  it  a  crime,"  she  answered,  "that  you 
make  it  a  reproach?  As  I  remember  it,  you  did 
not  use  to  think  she  was  so  plain!" 

"She  was  beautiful!"  said  the  young  man 
impulsively.  The  girl  flushed  at  the  indirect 
compliment  and  drew  away  her  hands. 

"I  did  not  know  you  were  here,"  she  said, 
"or  I  would  have  been  more  satisfied  to  come." 

"Why  did  you  come?"  he  asked. 

"There  was  no  choice.  When  my  father  and 
Varenka  and  her  husband  came,  they  brought 
me  with  them  whether  I  would  or  not."  Ivan 
Egorovitch  drew  in  a  sudden  breath  and  looked 
uneasily  toward  the  stern  of  the  boat. 

"Varenka — "  he  said,  "is  she,  too,  wiffi  you 
here?" 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  girl.  "She  is  still  at 
Yakutat.  Only  my  father  is  here.  Zakar 
Medvedef  's  wife  agreed  to  care  for  me  and  it 
was  more  convenient  that  I  should  come  with 
her."  The  young  man  remained  silent  for  a 
moment,  but  his  gaze  came  thankfully  back  to 
the  girl's  face. 


28  THE  CHALLENGE 

"But  you  are  all  to  live  at  Ltuaf "  he  asked 
finally. 

"Yes.  Ossip,  Varenka's  husband,  and  my 
father  are  in  the  company's  employ." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,"  he  continued.  "Even 
with  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  to  comfort  me,  the  life 
here  at  the  best  of  times  has  not  been  over  full. ' ' 

.The  girl  looked  at  his  companion  with  a 
friendly  glance. 

"Then  you  have  known  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
before?"  Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  to  him  with  a 
smile. 

"Ask  him,"  he  said.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
had  watched  in  silence,  but  with  growing  in- 
terest, the  demonstration  of  acquaintanceship 
between  Ivan  and  the  girl.  Boiling  up  his  sleeve, 
he  came  forward  and  put  out  his  arm.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  loosened  his  sleeve  and  extended  his 
own  arm  till  it  lay  close  to  the  one  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  had  put  out. 

"He  is  my  brother,  Motrya  Petrovna,"  he 
said  earnestly.  "His  blood  is  in  my  veins  and 
mine  in  his.  Look!"  he  added,  placing  his 
finger  on  the  two  arms  just  above  the  wrists, 
"you  can  see  the  scars. ' '  The  girl  bent  gravely 
for  a  moment  above  the  hard,  white  lines.  Then 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  29 

she  looted  up  into  Ivan  Egorovitch 's  eyes  with 
a  shrinking  that  was  almost  disgust. 

"Did  you  make  those  scars  yourselves ?"  she 
asked. 

' '  Of  course, ' '  said  Ivan  Egorovitch.  ' '  It  was 
a  bond."  Motrya  Petrovna  shivered  and 
looked  thoughtfully  down  at  her  own  smooth 
wrists. 

"I  could  not  do  that,"  she  said.  "You  must 
have  cared  for  each  other  very  much."  The 
two  men's  faces  lighted  sympathetically  as  they 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes  and,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause,  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  said  with 
dignified  simplicity: 

"Yes,  it  is  very  much."  The  girl  stood  con- 
sidering the  matter  seriously,  and  listened  un- 
convinced. 

"I  could  care,  myself,"  she  said  defiantly, 
"but  it  is  stupid  to  hurt  one's  self  like  that." 

The  relationship  was  so  sacred  a  thing  to  the 
two  men  that  for  the  moment  Ivan  Egorovitch 
was  disturbed.  He  held  himself  well  in  check, 
however,  and  answered  so  as  to  turn  the  thing 
aside. 

"It  is  an  ordeal  that  will  never  come  to 
you,  little  sister,"  he  said  with  an  attempt  at  a 


30  THE  CHALLENGE 

smile.  "A  woman  does  not  have  to  swear 
blood-fealty  with  a  man  to  make  him  keep  his 
troth."  The  change  in  his  manner  was  small, 
but  Motrya  Petrovna  felt  it. 

"Oh,"  she  said  in  some  confusion,  "was  I 
wrong  in  speaking  as  I  did?  Believe  me,  Ivan, 
I  had  no  thought  to  be  unkind."  She  was  so 
appealing  in  her  concern  that  he  could  not  but 
have  forgiven  her  had  her  lapse  been  really 
grave. 

"There  was  no  fault,"  he  said  gently.  "It 
only  nxeans  that  henceforward  you  will  have 
two  brothers  instead  of  one."  The  girl  looked 
up  at  him  gratefully  and  flashed  a  shy  glance  of 
interrogation  at  her  newly-declared  relative 
at  his  side. 

"Stepan  Dmitrievitch  has  been  very  kind  to 
me  so  far,"  she  said  demurely.  "I  shall  be 
glad  if  he  does  not  forget  me  later  on."  She 
turned  toward  him  with  a  friendly  nod.  "But 
that  is  not  what  I  came  to  ask  you,  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch,"  she  said.  "Are  you  going  to  let 
me  have  my  flowers?"  The  man  spoken  to 
looked  vainly  around  for  a  subordinate  and  took 
an  irresolute  step  toward  the  bow. 

"I  will  call  some  one  to  bring  them  up,"  he 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  31 

said  deferentially,  but  Ivan  Egorovitch  did  not 
wait. 

"I  will  get  them,"  he  said  eagerly,  and  swung 
himself  over  the  side.  The  girl  leaned  down 
to  him  across  the  bulwark  and,  steadying  him- 
self against  the  larger  craft,  he  handed  up  to 
her  the  blossoms  he  had  brought.  She  received 
them  with  a  little  cry  of  joy,  and  when  he  re- 
gained the  deck,  stood  with  them  hugged  up  in 
a  great  heap  in  her  arms,  her  face  bent  deep  in 
the  fragrant  blooms. 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  "it  is  good  to  see  them 
again.  I  have  not  had  any  of  my  own  for 
weeks." 

"I  am  glad  I  brought  them,"  said  Ivan 
Egorovitch.  "I  picked  them  on  the  headland 
while  I  was  waiting  for  you  to  come." 

"And  are  there  many!"  she  demanded 
breathlessly. 

' '  Yes, ' '  he  answered, ' t  all  that  your  heart  can 
wish."  She  gave  a  little  sigh  of  satisfaction 
and  pressed  her  head  again  against  the  flow- 
ers. 

"I  am  afraid  it  is  wrong  to  love  them  so 
much, ' '  she  said  doubtfully.  ' l  Sometimes  I  feel 
as  if  I  could  not  live  without  them."  She 


32  THE  CHALLENGE 

looked  at  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  wide  eyes  as 
if  she  expected  him  to  pass  judgment  on  the 
dereliction. 

"Oh,  I  do  not  know,''  he  said  practically. 
"It  does  not  seem  so  bad.  Besides,  it  is  not 
worth  while  to  worry  about  it  here,  for  before 
you  realize  it,  the  flowers  will  all  be  gone  and 
you  will  not  see  them  again  until  next  year. ' ' 

"I  shall  hate  the  cold,  I  know,"  she  declared 
emphatically. 

"It  is  not  the  cold  but  the  dark  that  wears 
on  one,"  he  answered.  "There  is  something 
fairly  maddening  about  the  long  winter  nights. ' ' 

A  boatman  came  up  and  spoke  to  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch,  who  had  been  listening  in  appre- 
ciative silence  to  all  that  had  been  said.  He 
considered  for  a  moment,  nodded,  and,  turning 
with  the  man,  went  reluctantly  away. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  and  the  girl  remained  alone 
together,  standing  at  the  side.  The  young  man 
was  still  upset  by  the  emotions  stirred  by  the 
unexpected  meeting  and  watched  her  move- 
ments without  venturing  on  speech.  The  girl 
waited  for  some  moments  and  busied  herself 
with  her  flowers.  She  felt  the  silence,  however, 
and  grew  uneasy  under  it. 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  33 

"Why  do  you  look  at  me  like  that,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  ? ' '  she  demanded  finally.  The  young 
man  started  as  if  he  had  been  asleep  and  let  his 
eyes  drop  to  the  floor. 

"You  are  two  people  to  me  to-day,"  he  said 
slowly;  "the  child  you  were  when  I  saw  you 
last  and  the  older  woman  whom  I  have  kept  in 
mind  through  all  these  years." 

"Did  you  then  care  so  much!"  she  asked 
curiously. 

"As  I  cared  for  my  life,"  he  answered  with 
conviction. 

"Then  why  did  you  go  away  without  telling 
her  so  1 "  she  demanded  scornfully.  ' '  You  were 
not  bold  for  a  lover,  Ivan  Egorovitch,  and  it 
was  not  fair  to  her." 

"I  was  a  fool,"  he  said  humbly,  "and  too 
easily  overborne — but  I  suffered  for  it  in  the 
end." 

"And  do  you  think  she  did  not  suffer,  too?" 
she  asked. 

"Did  she  then  also  care?"  he  said  softly.  "I 
have  never  really  known." 

"Yes,"  replied  the  girl,  "though  I  have  no 
right  to  tell  it.  She  did  care  and  she  was  never 
quite  the  same  after  that." 


34  THE  CHALLENGE 

* '  I  should  have  stayed, ' '  he  said  moodily.  ' '  I 
know  it  well  enough  now!" 

"Yes,"  she  said  softly,  "you  should  have 
stayed."  He  gave  himself  up  to  the  bitter 
recollection  and  she  did  not  try  to  interrupt  his 
thoughts.  Yet  when  he  spoke  again  it  was  only 
to  touch  the  subject  on  another  side. 

"Varenka — "  he  said  hesitatingly,  "has  she 
changed  much  in  looks  ? ' '  The  girl  thought  for 
a  moment  with  her  head  turned  to  one  side. 

"No,  not  very  much,"  she  said  musingly. 
"She  is  older,  of  course,  and  less  slender,  but 
otherwise  she  is  much  the  same." 

"I  wish  the  change  were  greater,"  he  said 
gloomily.  "It  would  be  easier  for  me  when  we 
meet."  Motrya  Petrovna  misunderstood  him 
and  disliked  the  implication  in  his  words. 

"Do  not  forget  that  she  is  married  now," 
she  said  with  some  intensity,  "and,  further,  if 
she  were  not,  you  may  be  sure  she  would 
never  show  you  that  she  had  cared.  But  what 
is  it  to  you,  anyway?"  she  demanded.  "Surely 
by  this  time  you  have  found  some  other  in  her 
place."  The  young  man  smiled  down  at  her 
and  shook  his  head. 

"No,"  he  said,  "I  did  not  mean  it  in  that 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  35 

way.  But  so  far  there  has  been  no  one  else. 
I  have  kept  away  from  women — and  besides, 
there  are  few  girls  in  this  country  for  any  one' 
to  have.  There  will  be  more  than  one  man 
here,  little  sister,  who  will  be  glad  to  see  your 
face;  and  with  the  memories  I  have  of  it,  if  I 
see  you  daily,  I  am  not  sure  but  I  shall  fall  in 
love  with  you  myself."  Motrya  Petrovna's 
eyes  danced  and  she  made  him  a  low  bow. 

"How  kind  you  are !"  she  exclaimed  derisive- 
ly. "You  were  an  excellent  brother  when  I 
was  a  little  girl,  but  from  what  I  have  seen  of 
you  as  a  lover  I  am  afraid  I  should  be  some- 
what doubtful  about  selecting  you  for  myself. ' ' 

The  young  man's  face  flushed  and  he  was 
plainly  moved  to  make  a  vigorous  reply. 

"I  was  only  a  boy  then,"  he  said  abruptly, 
but  got  no  further  in  his  defense.  As  he  spoke, 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  came  back  to  where  they 
stood  and,  with  him  present  at  the  telling,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  felt  the  sentimental  protest  die 
within  his  throat.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  was  full 
of  impatience  at  the  delay. 

"It  has  been  an  hour,  Ivan,"  he  announced. 
"Do  you  not  think  it  would  be  safe  now  to  go 
in?"  The  boat  had  come  quite  close  to  the 


36  THE  CHALLENGE 

channel's  mouth  and  on  the  right  the  rocky 
headland  loomed  up  vaguely  in  the  fog.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  bent  forward  and  peered  intently 
into  the  mist,  but  the  gray  cloud  was  too  thick 
for  vision  and  he  could  not  decide  on  the  mat- 
ter as  he  wished.  The  girl  watched  the  two 
men  in  eager  silence. 

" Shall  we  soon  be  there?"  she  asked. 

"It  will  be  no  time  at  all,"  said  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch,  "when  once  we  pass  the  draw." 

"My  father  was  asleep  when  you  came," 
continued  Motrya  Petrovna,  "and  I  do  not 
think  he  knows  that  you  are  here.  I  will  go  and 
tell  him,  and  get  the  things  ready  so  there  will 
be  no  delay. ' ' 

She  left  them  with  a  little  nod  to  both  and 
they  watched  her  go  away  without  a  word. 
Then  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  turned  to  his  com- 
panion and  laid  a  hand  upon  his  arm. 

"Was  it  her  sister!"  he  asked,  speaking  low, 
as  if  afraid  some  one  else  would  hear.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  nodded  without  saying  a  word. 

"And  did  the  other  one  look  then  as  this  one 
does  now!" 

"So  close  that,  as  you  saw,  when  I  met  her 
to-day  I  thought  they  were  the  same."  Stepau 


IVAN  MEETS  A  GHOST  37 

Dmitrievitch  breathed  out  hard  and  clapped 
Ivan  Egorovitch  smartly  on  the  back. 

"I  do  not  blame  you,"  he  cried.  "She  was 
worth  it.  I  should  have  been  in  love  with  her 
myself."  Ivan  Egorovitch  laughed  and  gave 
his  shoulders  a  sarcastic  shrug. 

"Be  careful  that  you  do  not  fall  in  love  with 
this  one  now,"  he  said  and  made  ready  to  go 
down  into  his  boat.  '  *  This  fog  is  too  thick  to  see 
through,"  he  added  briskly.  "I  will  go  ashore 
and  walk  along  to  where  I  can  see  the  draw. ' ' 

He  was  down  almost  as  he  spoke  and  pulling 
swiftly  toward  the  land.  Once  or  twice  he  looked 
back,  but  it  was  at  the  stern  of  the  bidarlca 
rather  than  at  the  point  where  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch stood.  He  pulled  more  slowly  as  he 
reached  the  cove,  and  when  the  bow  of  his  boat 
slid  up  on  the  tiny  beach,  he  sat  for  a  full  mo- 
ment thinking,  before  he  took  up  the  rope  to 
make  it  fast. 

As  he  stooped  to  lift  it,  he  came  upon  a  spray 
of  the  blossoms  that  had  been  left  behind  when 
he  had  given  the  others  to  the  girl,  and  he 
paused  again,  taking  the  branch  up  curiously  in 
his  hand.  He  looked  it  over  from  end  to  end 
with  the  same  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and  finally, 


38  THE  CHALLENGE 

opening  his  thumb  and  forefinger,  dropped  it 
over  into  the  sea. 

"You  will  not  have  to  wait,"  he  said  whimsi- 
cally. "I  shall  not  need  you  to  make  choice. 
God  willing,  she  is  going  to  be  white ! ' ' 


CHAPTEB  HI 


Stepan  Dmitrievitch  stood  waiting  for  Ivan 
Egorovitch  as  he  came  again  over  the  side  of 
the  boat.  He  was  not  alone,  for  close  behind 
him  stood  a  slender,  undersized  person,  who 
kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  coming  man  and 
showed  by  his  manner  that  he  only  waited  for 
him  to  be  well  on  the  deck  before  accosting  him. 

The  man's  face  was  long,  even  without  his 
thin,  straggling  beard,  and  he  was  more  than 
usually  narrow  between  the  eyes.  His  head 
hung  forward  on  his  neck  and  his  shoulders  had 
the  sanctimonious  droop  that  marks  the  cleric. 
So  well  did  he  look  his  trade  that,  without  his 
hat  and  high,  close-buttoned  habit,  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch would  easily  have  known  him  for  the 
priest.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  spoke  at  once. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "is  it  right  yet  so  we  can  go 
in  r '  Ivan  Egorovitch  nodded  assuringly. 

"  It  is  near  the  end, "  he  said  confidently.  '  '  Go 

39 


40  THE  CHALLENGE 

slowly  and  I  think  that  you  need  have  no 
fear." 

Stepan  Dmitrievitch  turned  to  give  the  neces- 
sary commands,  but  was  interrupted  by  the 
priest,  who  pushed  forward  and  took  him  by 
the  arm. 

i  '  Is  this  the  man  ?  "  he  asked  eagerly.  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  flashed  an  apologetic  look  at  Ivan 
Egorovitch  before  he  spoke. 

' '  Yes, ' '  he  said  laconically,  ' '  this  is  the  man. ' ' 
Then,  as  the  priest  waited,  he  turned  again  to 
Ivan  Egorovitch  and  said  with  a  note  of  depre- 
cation in  his  voice : 

1 '  This  is  Simeon  Gvosdef ,  the  father  of  Mois- 
sei.  You  will  remember  that  I  spoke  to  you  of 
him  when  you  first  came  on  the  boat. ' '  He  was 
ill  at  ease  and,  having  spoken,  backed  away  as 
if  to  leave  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  the  man  he 
had  introduced.  The  priest  waited  no  further 
advances,  but  moved  at  once  close  to  the 
young  man  and  smilingly  put  out  his  hand. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  evaded  the  contact  and  edged 
hastily  away  in  the  direction  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch had  gone. 

"I  will  talk  to  you  in  a  moment,"  he  said,  as 
he  passed  by  him.  "I  must  speak  to  Stepan 


THE  PKIEST'S  SON  41 

Dmitrievitch  before  lie  goes  away."  He  has- 
tened after  his  blood-brother  and  brought  him 
rudely  to  a  stop. 

"What  foolishness  is  this?"  he  demanded  ir- 
ritably. "Have  you  not  told  him?"  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  drew  in  his  under  lip  between  his 
teeth  and  shamefacedly  shook  his  head.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  remained  looking  at  him  in  silence 
while  his  indignation  grew. 

"I  do  not  blame  you  so  much  for  not  telling 
him  yourself,"  he  said  ruefully,  "but  why  have 
you  put  the  burden  on  me?"  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch threw  up  his  hands  in  a  gesture  of  ap- 
peal. 

"It  was  he  who  decided  it,  not  I,"  he  said 
helplessly.  "He  knew  that  you  came  from  the 
shore  and  was  only  biding  his  time." 

"Well,  I  do  not  want  to  tell  him  any  more 
than  you  do." 

"You  must.  It  will  be  kinder  than  to  let  him 
wait."  Ivan  Egorovitch  clung  to  him  irreso- 
lutely. 

"Stay  with  me  till  it  is  done,"  he  urged,  but 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  would  not  hear. 

"I  could  not  do  it,"  he  said  soberly.  "He 
has  talked  so  much  with  me  about  the  boy 


42  THE  CHALLENGE 

while  we  were  on  the  way."  They  stood  for 
a  moment  in  embarrassed  silence,  looking  down 
at  the  deck  and  avoiding  each  other's  eyes. 
Then  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  recovered  himself 
and  drew  quietly  away. 

"I  must  go  now,"  he  said  gently.  "I  wish 
I  could  help  you  further,  but  I  must  give  the 
orders  to  the  men. ' '  Ivan  Egorovitch  shrugged 
his  shoulders  but  did  not  raise  his  eyes,  and 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  continued  on  his  way  with 
the  same  apologetic,  half-guilty  tread. 

The  priest,  meanwhile,  stood  where  he  had 
been  left,  watching  with  impatient  eyes  the  col- 
loquy between  the  two  men.  When  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch came  back  to  him  his  face  brightened  and 
he  nervously  clasped  his  hands. 

"You  will  pardon  me,"  he  said,  with  the 
slight,  fawning  cringe  that  seemed  a  habit  of 
the  man,  "but  they  tell  me  you  are  come  from 
the  station  of  the  promyshleniki  at  Ltua — that  it 
is  just  over  there."  He  unclasped  his  hands 
and  waved  one  vaguely  in  the  direction  of  the 
shore.  Ivan  Egorovitch,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
his  interlocutor  as  if  in  fascination,  silently 
nodded  an  assent. 

"I  have  a  son,"  went  on  the  priest  softly. 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  43 

"He  lias  been  with  the  promyshleniki  for  four 
years — and  even  a  longer  time  away  from  home. 
It  has  been  said  that  he  was  with  the  hunters  at 
Ltua  and  I  am  making  bold  to  ask  you  if  he 
is  still  at  that  place."  Ivan  Egorovitch  tem- 
porized as  he  could. 

"You  mean  Moissei  Gvosdef!"  he  asked 
feebly.  The  priest's  face  broke  into  a  smile 
and  his  restless  hands  clasped  and  unclasped 
impulsively. 

"Ah,  you  know  him!"  he  cried  joyously. 
"You  have  seen  him  day  by  day!  Then  it  is 
true  he  is  at  the  post,  and  I  shall  see  him. ' '  He 
turned  in  the  direction  of  the  shore,  leaning 
forward  in  his  excitement  and  straining  into 
the  fog,  as  if  by  his  insistence  he  could  over- 
come the  obstacles  that  intervened  between  him 
and  his  desire.  Ivan  Egorovitch  saw  no  road 
open  that  would  lead  him  to  the  truth,  and  a 
sudden  wave  of  anger  toward  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch  swept  over  him  as  he  thought  how  un- 
necessarily this  disagreeable  duty  had  been 
thrust  upon  him. 

"He  has  been  there  eight  months,"  he  said 
with  an  effort,  "and  was  there  when  I  came 
away.  You  will  see  him  if  we  get  in  before 


M  THE  CHALLENGE 

night."  Simeon  Gvosdef  gave  a  little  sigh  of 
content  and  continued  the  inquiry  that  was  near 
his  heart. 

"Is  he  well?"  he  inquired  abruptly,  turning 
his  nervous  eyes  again  on  the  young  man.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  felt  his  heart  go  down  and,  try  as 
he  might,  no  fitting  answer  came.  The  priest 
watched  him  in  silence  that  after  a  little  grew 
into  alarm. 

' '  What  is  it  ?"  he  cried  sharply.  '  '  What  is  it 
you  have  not  told!"  His  timidity  fell  away 
from  him  in  his  excitement  and,  coming  close 
to  Ivan  Egorovitch,  he  seized  him  convulsively 
by  the  wrist.  "Tell  me!"  he  demanded  almost 
fiercely,  "in  what  way  has  he  come  to  harmV 
Ivan  Egorovitch  drew  back  hastily  and  strove 
to  pull  himself  away. 

"Let  me  go!"  he  cried  threateningly.  "I 
had  no  hand  in  it  at  all!" 

The  priest's  grasp  tightened  more  firmly  as 
his  conviction  lent  him  strength. 

' t  Then  there  is  harm ! "  he  burst  out,  his  voice 
rising  higher  as  he  spoke.  "You  know  of  it, 
but  you  do  not  wish  to  tell ! ' ' 

"Well,  take  it  then,  if  you  will  have  it!"  cried 
the  young  man  angrily.  "I  only  know  that  he 


THE  PBIEST'S  SON  45 

was  away  for  a  week  with  the  others  preparing 
the  ground  for  the  new  traps,  and  when  the 
men  came  in  last  night  they  said  he  was  dead. ' ' 

For  an  instant  the  priest's  fierce  grip  per- 
sisted and  he  stood  looking  breathlessly  into 
Ivan  Egorovitch's  face.  Then  the  light  went 
out  of  his  eyes  and  the  clasp  fell  suddenly 
away. 

1  i  Dead  V '  he  repeated  in  an  incredulous  whis- 
per. "Dead!"  His  face  began  to  twitch  con- 
vulsively with  the  strength  of  his  emotion  and 
he  turned  abruptly  away.  As  if  the  power  of 
sight  had  suddenly  gone  from  him,  he  put  out 
his  hands  before  him  and  groped  his  way  dizzily 
to  the  rail.  There  he  stood  rigid,  with  bent  head 
and  back,  gazing  fixedly  out  into  the  mist. 

' l  Moissei ! "  he  cried  almost  fiercely.  ' '  Mois- 
sei ! "  and  his  voice  was  bitter  with  the  reflection 
of  his  grief.  For  a  long  time  he  stood  motion- 
less, bound  by  the  first  shock  of  his  loss.  Then 
the  reaction  came,  his  shoulders  began  to  rise 
and  fall  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  could  hear  the 
smothered  intake  of  his  sobs.  Suddenly  he 
turned  and  came  back  to  the  young  man. 

"Tell  me,"  he  demanded  brokenly,  "that  it 
is  not  true !  You  promised  me  that  I  should  see 


46  THE  CHALLENGE 

him  at  the  post  to-night. "  Ivan  Egorovitch's 
eyes  filled  and  he  sorrowfully  shook  his  head. 

"You  will  see  him/'  he  said  gently.  "The 
men  brought  in  his  body  and  he  will  not  be 
buried  until  to-day  at  dusk."  The  priest's 
hands  came  convulsively  together  and  he  strove 
to  steady  his  voice. 

"I  must!  I  must!"  he  whispered.  "God 
would  not  will  it  that  he  should  lose  the  blessing 
at  the  end. ' '  He  shivered  slightly  and  steadied 
himself  against  a  convenient  bale.  Then,  as  if 
the  weakness  that  had  fallen  on  him  were  mere 
physical  fatigue,  he  added  wearily :  ' '  Oh,  I  have 
come  so  far ! ' ' 

Ivan  Egorovitch  found  no  words  to  comfort 
him,  but  his  hands  went  out  in  readiness  to  catch 
the  man  if  he  should  fall.  The  priest  held  his 
place,  however,  and  unconsciously  drew  away 
from  the  proffered  aid.  When  he  spoke  again, 
it  was  in  pursuance  of  a  new  idea. 

"How  did  death  come?"  he  demanded  abrupt- 
ly. ' i  Was  it  from  God  or  man  ? ' '  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch was  startled  by  the  suddenness  of  the 
inquiry  and  found  no  fitting  answer. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  answered,  but  the  sus- 
picion at  his  heart  rose  up  and  looked  out 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  47 

through  his  eyes,  and  Simeon  Gvosdef  saw  it 
there  and  understood.  He  came  closer  to  the 
young  man,  pushing  out  his  head  until  their 
faces  almost  touched,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  could 
feel  his  hurried  breath  upon  his  cheek. 

"Who  was  it  did  it?"  he  demanded  fiercely. 
"Tell  me!  I  have  a  right  to  know!"  Ivan 
Egorovitch  pushed  him  hastily  away 

"I  did  not  say  any  one  did  it,"  he  answered. 

"But  you  believe — " 

"Never  mind  what  I  believe.  I  should  be  a 
fool  to  make  an  accusation  where  I  do  not  fully 
know.  I  have  made  no  accusation,  and  I  make 
none!  If  you  are  not  satisfied,  talk  with  Mik- 
hail Etolin,  the  lieutenant,  when  you  get 
ashore."  He  turned  on  his  heel  and  would 
have  gone  away,  but  the  other  seized  him  by 
the  arm. 

"So  be  it!"  he  cried,  between  his  clenched 
teeth.  "If  I  must,  I  will  wait  my  turn.  But, 
as  God  is  good,  if  my  boy  was  killed,  I  will 
bring  the  matter  to  the  light!  And  if  it  was 
foully  done,  I  will  have  judgment  if  it  fall  upon 
the  lieutenant  himself!"  As  he  finished,  he 
dropped  the  arm  that  he  had  held  and  left  Ivan 
Egorovitch  free.  His  excitement  overcame  the 


48  THE  CHALLENGE 

weakness  that  had  held  him  bound  and,  with  a 
pathetic  attempt  at  dignity,  he  moved  unstead- 
ily away  and  went  forward  to  his  place  among 
the  men. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  him  ruefully  till  he 
was  out  of  sight  and  then  looked  about  to  see 
where  he  should  go.  The  merchandise  piled  up 
along  the  central  shut-in  space  hid  from  him 
the  exact  position  of  the  people  at  the  stern; 
but  from  that  direction  there  floated  to  him,  now 
that  he  had  time  to  listen  for  it,  the  sound  of 
a  girl's  voice,  singing. 

He  picked  his  way  along  the  cluttered  pas- 
sage to  the  open  after-space  and,  coming  on 
its  occupants,  saw  that  it  was  Motrya  Petrovna 
who  was  lifting  up  her  voice. 

She  sat  with  her  back  to  a  stanchion  wound 
about  with  a  great  rope,  and  was  busy  in  an 
attempt  to  occupy  and  amuse  a  vigorous,  well- 
grown  infant  that  lay  in  her  spread  lap.  She 
was  giving  absorbed  attention  to  the  process, 
with  somewhat  qualified  success,  bending  for- 
ward over  her  charge  and  swaying  her  body 
from  side  to  side  so  that  the  light  glinted  on  her 
black  hair  as  she  moved.  Her  flowers  lay  in 
a  heap  beside  her  on  the  deck. 


THE  PKIEST'S  SON  49 

Near-by,  on  a  pile  of  baggage,  sat  a  sickly, 
middle-aged  man  in  a  long  blue  nankeen  coat, 
the  skirts  of  which  he  had  drawn  up  over  his 
knees  to  keep  them  from  contact  with  the  deck. 
He  had  a  square,  stubborn  jaw,  and  large,  rest- 
less gray  eyes,  that  roamed  continually  from 
place  to  place.  His  arms  were  held  straight 
along  on  either  side  of  him,  the  hands  pushing 
against  the  seat  as  if  to  support  his  weight,  and 
he  sat  stiffly  upright  with  an  air  of  general  dis- 
content. He  talked  continuously,  but  evidently 
for  his  own  satisfaction,  rather  than  with  an 
idea  of  conversation  with  the  girl,  for  Motrya 
Petrovna  responded  but  occasionally  to  what 
he  said. 

" There  were  seven,  Motrya,  I  am  sure  of  it," 
he  was  saying  fretfully.  "And  now  I  can  find 
only  six.  It  must  be  that  one  was  taken  for- 
ward by  the  men  or  else  was  lost  overboard 
carelessly  in  the  night.  I  have  looked  every- 
where that  they  would  let  me  there  below,  and 
I  shall  have  the  boat  searched  vigorously — do 
you  hear  me? — vigorously,  before  we  go 
ashore!"  The  girl  continued  her  attentions  to 
the  baby  and  swung  it  gently  from  side  to  side. 

"I  saw  only  six,"  she  said  without  look- 


50  THE  CHALLENGE 

ing  up.  "I  do  not  believe  you  brought  any 
more  than  that  from  Yakutat."  The  man's 
jaws  came  together  with  a  snap  and  he  looked 
down  stubbornly  at  the  pile  of  things  on  which 
he  sat 

"I  know  I  can  not  be  mistaken, "  he  repeated 
sullenly.  "  There  were  the  two  rolls  of  bed- 
ding, the  laurel  chest,  the  long  leathern  sack,  the 
bucket  of  brandy,  the  clothes-pouch,  and — and 
one  other  package  that  is  not  here.  It  is  singu- 
lar I  can  not  remember  what  it  was. ' '  The  girl 
yawned  slowly  as  she  dandled  the  baby  up  and 
down. 

1  i  That  is  because  there  never  was  a  seventh, ' ' 
she  answered  wearily.  "When  the  boat  brings 
the  rest  of  the  things  from  Yakutat,  you  will 
find  that  all  have  come." 

"I  shall  not,7'  he  declared  angrily.  "There 
were  seven  came  with  us  and  I  shall  have  a 
search."  The  baby  cried  and  the  girl  lifted  it 
up  and,  placing  it  against  her  shoulder,  began 
to  pat  it  on  the  back.  In  so  doing,  she  looked 
up  and  saw  Ivan  Egorovitch,  and  he  came 
immediately  to  where  she  sat.  She  gave  him  a 
cheery  nod  of  recognition  and  turned  to  the  man 
at  her  side. 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  51 

"Father,"  she  said,  "here  is  Ivan  Nilof^ 
You  will  rememher  him  at  home.  Is  it  not  good 
to  see  a  familiar  fa,ce  out  here  in  this  strange 
land?"  Whatever  of  joy  Peter  Gagarin  felt  at 
this  sudden  recognition,  it  was  not  reflected  in 
his  face. 

He  did  not  rise,  or  change  his  position,  but 
fixed  his  big  eyes  suspiciously  on  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  and  looked  him  swiftly  up  and  down. 

"I  remember  him,"  he  said  dryly,  and  then, 
as  if  ashamed  of  his  churlishness,  he  put  out 
his  hand.  The  young  man  flushed  and  hesi- 
tated, but  a  glance  from  the  girl  decided  him, 
and  he  took  the  proffered  grasp  as  cordially  as 
if  it  had  been  offered  in  full  heart. 

"You  are  almost  at  your  journey's  end,  Peter 
Efimovitch,"  he  said  pleasantly.  "I  am  glad 
to  be  the  first  to  bring  you  welcome  to  the 
place."  Peter  Gagarin  sniffed  ungraciously 
and  fell  back  on  the  grievance  that  occupied  his 
mind. 

' '  The  place  is  a  small  matter  if  I  can  find  my 
things,"  he  complained  childishly.  "When  I 
started  I  had  seven  parcels  in  my  effects  and 
now  there  are  only  six." 

1  i  0  father,  "said  the  girl, ' '  be  patient !    Why 


52  THE  CHALLENGE 

can  not  you  wait  and  see  1 ' '  She  blushed  in  her 
embarrassment  and  leaned  forward  to  lay  a 
pleading  hand  upon  his  arm.  But  the  child 
had  reached  the  furthest  limit  of  its  patience 
and  refused  to  brook  even  this  temporary  in- 
terruption of  her  ministrations  to  itself.  It 
straightened  to  its  full  length,  threw  back  its 
head  and  gave  voice  to  its  protest  in  a  pro- 
longed and  vigorous  wail.  Motrya  Petrovna 
returned  promptly  to  its  aid. 

"0,  Grinya,  be  good!"  she  cried  coaxingly, 
and  gathered  him  closely  in  her  arms.  She  ap- 
plied again  the  small  arts  that  had  comforted 
him  before  and  hummed  to  him  and  joggled  him, 
while  the  young  man  watched.  Then,  as  her 
efforts  failed  to  bring  success,  she  turned  her 
head  and  began  to  look  anxiously  toward  the 
cabin  door. 

"Tatiana!"  she  called  briskly.  "Tatiana 
Vassilievna!  The  baby  is  crying  and  I  think 
you  had  better  come." 

"I'm  coming,"  responded  a  voice  from  the 
space  within,  and  almost  on  the  word  the  owner 
of  it  came  out  through  the  doorway.  She  was 
a  short,  stout  woman,  with  an  extremely  red 
face.  Her  features  were  coarse  and  heavy  and 


THE  PBIEST'S  SON  53 

i 

the  skin  on  lier  cheeks  was  shiny  as  if  it  had 
been  scoured.  Her  eyebrows  were  bushy  as  a 
man's  above  her  tip-tilted  nose.  She  had  a 
green  handkerchief  tied  around  her  head,  the 
knot  under  her  chin  serving  to  fill  up  and  make 
wider  her  wide,  fat  neck,  and  she  carried  in  her 
arms  a  great  bundle  of  clothing  which  she  had 
evidently  been  gathering  against  the  going  from 
the  boat.  Depositing  it  hastily  on  a  pile  of  like 
baggage  on  one  side,  she  hurried  to  Motrya 
Petrovna,  making  a  crooning  noise  with  her 
closed  lips  and  opening  her  bodice  with  an  in- 
stinctive maternal  movement  as  she  came. 

"Give  him  to  me,"  she  said,  and  lifting  the 
child  she  backed  away  with  it  for  some  paces, 
choosing  her  place  by  a  glance  over  her  shoul- 
der, and  dropped  down  behind  a  pile  of  boxes 
where  the  others  could  see  nothing  of  her  but 
her  head.  For  an  instant  there  was  an  increase 
in  the  vigor  of  the  child's  impatient  note,  and 
then  the  outcry  broke  suddenly  in  the  middle 
with  a  gurgle  and  a  sigh.  The  mother  bent 
above  him  busily  for  a  moment  and  then 
smilingly  raised  her  head. 

"Are  we  nearly  there?"  she  asked  with  a 
touch  of  interest.  "I  see  that  we  are  under 


54  THE  CHALLENGE 

way."  Her  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  Ivan 
Egorovitch  rather  than  the  others,  and  Motrya 
Petrovna  spoke  at  once. 

"This  is  Ivan  Nilof,  Tatiana,  the  man  who 
came  in  the  boat.  He  says  we  are  near  the 
post."  Then,  turning  to  the  young  man,  she 
added  in  a  lower  tone:  "Tatiana  Vassilievna 
is  Zakar  Medvedef  's  wife,  in  whose  charge  I 
told  you  I  had  come."  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
looked  round  her  curiously  in  the  fog. 

"Well,"  she  said  emphatically,  "I  hope  he  is 
taking  us  to  something  we  shall  like.  I  haven't 
seen  air  as  thick  as  this  since  the  Fridays  when 
I  was  laundry-maid  at  home. ' '  The  girl  smiled 
at  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  said  to  him  under  her 
breath, 

"I  could  tell  her  there  will  at  least  be  flow- 
ers." He  nodded  affirmation  and  she  spoke 
again  openly  to  Zakar  Medvedef 's  wife. 

"It  is  so  warm  that  it  surely  must  be  nice 
where  there  is  no  fog,"  she  said.  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch was  pleased  with  her  defense  of  the  un- 
known land  and  answered  her  with  zest. 

"Yes,  but  it  will  not  last  as  long  as  I  could 
wish.  It  is  only  a  fortnight  till  Elijah's  Day, 
and  after  that  there  is  sure  to  be  a  change." 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  55 

" Shall  we  have  houses?"  asked  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna,  ' '  or  where  shall  we  live  ? ' ' 

"Why,  certainly,  and  warm  ones,  only  they 
are  somewhat  small.  I  know  of  no  house  at  the 
post  that  has  more  than  two  rooms. ' '  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed 
aloud. 

"Oh,  that  is  nothing,"  she  cried.  "It  is 
easier  to  find  the  children  when  we  are  all  to- 
gether in  a  heap."  The  young  man's  eyes 
danced  in  sympathy. 

"I  know  how  that  is,"  he  said.  "I  was  one 
of  a  family  of  fourteen."  Tatiana  Vassiliev- 
na 's  wide  mouth  opened  and  she  looked  at  him 
aghast. 

"Fourteen!"  she  exclaimed.  "God  remem- 
bered your  father  certainly,  young  man.  Were 
many  of  them  girls!" 

"No,  only  two." 

"Ha,  that  was  good!"  said  the  woman, 
breathing  out  in  her  content.  "Boys  are  like 
horses.  They  can  go  to  their  market  as  they 
are.  But  with  girls,  it  is  hard  to  get  rid  of  them 
without  a  harness  that  is  good." 

"Were  you  all  ready,  Tatiana,"  interposed 
Motrya  Petrovna,  "when  I  called  you  to  come 


56  THE  CHALLENGE 

out?"  The  baby  was  now  asleep  and  Tatiana 
Vassilievna,  moving  carefully  so  as  not  to  waken 
it,  came  around  again  to  where  the  others  sat. 

"Beady  to  a  shoe-string,"  she  insisted.  "My 
first  and  last  bundles  are  together  in  that  pile." 

"I  wish  ours  were,"  spoke  up  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch  sulkily.  "We,  too,  would  be  ready  if  we 
could  find  the  one  bundle  that  is  lost.  I  have 
asked  everybody  in  the  boat  about  it,  too,"  he 
added  gloomily.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  looked  at 
him  in  cheerful  scorn. 

"I  haven't  a  doubt  of  it,  Peter  Efimovitch," 
she  returned  breezily.  "And  most  of  us  have 
heard  you  more  than  once.  The  world  may 
saddle  other  faults  upon  you,  but  no  one  will 
ever  lay  the  sin  of  silence  at  your  door." 

Out  of  the  mist  on  the  right  hand  loomed 
suddenly  a  rocky  point  covered  from  base  to  top 
with  stately  trees. 

( '  See ! ' '  cried  Ivan  Egorovitch  excitedly.  ' '  It 
is  the  island  in  the  bay.  When  we  have  passed 
it,  we  are  almost  there."  He  rose  to  his  feet 
and  shouted  a  long,  quavering  call.  After  a 
moment  it  was  answered  from  the  shore,  and 
Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  to  his  companions  with 
a  beaming  face. 


THE  PEIEST'S  SON  57 

"You  hear?"  lie  said.  "They  are  waiting 
for  us  just  ahead. ' '  Stepan  Dmitrievitch,  hear- 
ing the  call,  came  back  to  where  they  stood  and 
he  and  Ivan  Egorovitdi  returned  together  to 
the  bow.  There  were  ten  minutes  more  of  wait- 
ing and  then  the  boat  slowed  gently  to  a  stop. 
A  sudden  stir  of  oars  and  voices  broke  out 
around  them  and  small  boats  appeared  on  either 
side.  The  two  men  came  back  and  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  demanded  cheerily: 

i '  Well,  are  you  ready  now  to  go  ashore  1 J ' 

"Shall  I  take  the  baby,  Tatiana?"  asked 
Motrya  Petrovna.  "You  will  need  both  your 
hands  to  look  after  the  unloading  of  your 
things. ' '  Tatiana  Vassilievna  protested  feebly, 
but  finally  allowed  the  girl  to  have  her  way. 

' '  But  how  will  you  manage  your  own  things  1 ' ' 
she  objected.  "Your  father  can  not  be  de- 
pended on,  you  know."  Both  Ivan  Egorovitch 
and  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  stepped  promptly  for- 
ward. 

"We  will  attend  to  that,"  said  both  as  if  in 
one  voice,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  added:  "Where 
are  the  things  you  want?"  The  girl  nodded 
toward  the  pile  on  which  her  father  had  been 
seated. 


58  THE  CHALLENGE 

"The  clothes-pouch  is  about  the  only  thing  I 
shall  need  at  once, ' '  she  said.  ' '  The  others  can 
wait  till  later  if  you  like."  Both  men  plunged 
forward  and  reached  for  the  designated  pouch. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  pulled  it  from  the  pile  and 
pushed  back  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 's  officious 
hand. 

"That  is  all  right,  Stepan,"  he  said  dryly. 
"You  help  the  other  woman.  I  can  attend  to 
this."  But  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  did  not  seem 
to  hear  him  and  took  hold  of  the  other  end. 
Motrya  Petrovna  watched  them  with  amuse- 
ment in  her  eyes. 

"Let  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  take  it,  Ivan,"  she 
said.  "He  can  put  it  on  the  boat."  Ivan 
Egorovitch  flushed  and,  letting  go  the  handle, 
stood  angrily  aside.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
shouldered  the  piece  of  baggage  triumphantly 
and  moved  off  with  it  to  the  rail.  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna waited  and  then  beckoned  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch to  come  near. 

"Are  you  not  ashamed?"  she  said.  "It  was 
not  worth  it.  I  know  you  better  than  I  do  him, 
and  I  thought  I  should  need  some  one  to  help 
me  with  the  baby  down  into  the  boat" 


CHAPTER  IV! 

• 
THE  PBJEST'S  SON  is  BURIED 

The  women  had  been  settled  in  safety  in  the 
boat  that  was  to  take  them  to  the  shore,  and 
Ivan  Egorovitch  was  himself  preparing  to  de- 
scend into  it,  when  he  felt  a  detaining  touch 
on  his  arm.  He  looked  around  and  saw  that 
it  was  Simeon  Gvosdef,  who  had  come  behind 
him  unnoticed  in  the  stir.  The  priest's  eyes 
were  red  with  weeping  and  his  insignificant  fea- 
tures twitched  restlessly  in  spite  of  his  efforts 
to  maintain  his  calm. 

" Where  is  he?"  he  said  hoarsely.  " Where 
shall  I  find  him  when  I  get  ashore?"  Ivan 
Egorovitch  was  touched  by  his  distress  and 
sought  to  comfort  him. 

6 '  He  was  in  his  own  cabin  when  I  came  away, ' ' 
he  answered.  ' '  They  put  him  there  when  they 
first  brought  him  in."  He  felt  from  the  man- 
ner of  the  priest  that  this  was  not  all  h&  wished 
to  know,  so  he  continued:  "Altogether,  there 

59 


60  THE  CHALLENGE 

are  so  few  houses  in  the  place  that  there  is  little 
danger  of  mistake;  but,  if  you  like,  you  can 
come  with  me.  My  lodging  is  just  across  the 
way  from  his  and  I  will  pilot  you."  The 
priest's  shifty  eyes  came  gratefully  up  to  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  face  and  as  quickly  dropped  away 
again. 

"But  you  are  going  now,"  he  said  uncer- 
tainly, "and  I  shall  have  to  wait." 

"I  shall  be  detained  at  the  landing  for  a  time 
and  you  can  easily  find  me." 

"You  are  very  good  to  me,"  said  the  other 
humbly,  and  gave  back  from  the  rail.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  lost  no  further  time,  but  swung  him- 
self nimbly  down  into  the  boat.  He  found  his 
place  by  Motrya  Petrovna,  but  his  mind  was  full 
of  what  had  just  occurred,  and,  without  speak- 
ing, he  sat  gazing  absently  out  into  the  mist. 
Motrya  Petrovna  noticed  it  and  let  her  curiosity 
crystallize  into  words. 

' '  What  is  it,  Ivan  f  "  she  said  softly.  ' '  Is  our 
coming  so  sad  a  thing  that  it  has  taken  away 
your  power  of  speech?"  He  heard  her  and 
turned  promptly  toward  her,  but  it  was  a  full 
moment  before  her  meaning  filtered  through  his 
preoccupation  so  that  he  understood  what  she 


THE  PKIEST'S  SON  IS  BUEIED     61 

had  said.  Then  his  face  lighted  responsively 
and  he  smilingly  shook  his  head. 

"It  was  not  my  own  worries  that  kept  me 
still,"  he  said  in  quick  apology.  "I  have  never 
had  a  happier  home-coming  in  my  life.  If  any- 
thing, it  was  Simeon  Gvosdef  's  troubles  that  put 
a  damper  on  my  thought." 

"Simeon  Gvosdef?"  she  repeated.  "What 
has  he  done  to  you  that  should  make  you  sad?" 

"Nothing,  of  himself.  His  son  at  the. post 
was  killed,  and  it  fell  to  me  to  bring  him  the 
evil  news."  Motrya  Petrovna  crossed  herself 
almost  unconsciously  and  drew  her  brows  to- 
gether in  a  frown. 

"It  was  enough!"  she  said  with  ready  sympa- 
thy. "I  had  not  heard  of  it  before.  But,  now 
that  it  is  done  and  finished,  why  are  you  still 
disturbed?" 

"Because  it  is  not  finished.  I  was  thinking 
of  what  is  coming  for  me — and  him — after  we 
get  ashore." 

"Oh,"  said  the  girl  understandingly,  and  re- 
lapsed into  silence  in  her  turn.  He  was  satis- 
fied not  to  disturb  her,  knowing  that  she  was  a 
sharer  in  his  thought,  and  it  was  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna who  was  the  first  to  speak  again. 


62  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Be  good  to  him,  Ivan,"  she  said  coaxingly. 
"He  is  different  from  the  others,  but  he  is  an 
old  man  and  alone  and  I  can  not  bear  to  think 
of  his  having  trouble  for  lack  of  a  friendly 
deed."  Her  voice  was  tremulous  and,  looking 
suddenly  at  her,  he  saw  that  her  eyes  were  filled 
with  tears. 

"I  will,"  he  said,  and  felt  his  own  eyes  cloud. 
The  shadow  of  the  priest's  grief  stayed  with 
them  and  they  were  both  quiet  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  way.  With  Motrya  Petrovna  it  was 
simply  a  natural  girlish  sympathy  that  went  out 
impulsively  to  one  in  need.  But  with  Ivan 
Egorovitch  their  common  depression  of  spirits 
seemed  not  alone  the  expression  of  a  vicarious 
tenderness,  but  a  bond  that  held  him  for  the 
moment  delightfully  within  the  pale  of  her 
maidenly  reserve. 

Mikhail  Etolin  met  them  at  the  water's  edge. 

"What  is  this?"  he  said  fretfully.  "Are 
there  women,  too?"  He  held  in  his  hand  the 
open  letter  which  had  brought  him  the  news  of 
the  enlargement  of  the  post,  and  it  was  easy  to 
see  that  his  sense  of  his  own  importance  had  not 
thereby  grown  less.  Ivan  Egorovitch  saw  it 
and  paid  his  tribute  to  it  with  a  smile. 


THE  PBIEST'S  SON  IS  BUEIED     63 

( '  Congratulations,  your  Well-born,  on  your  in- 
creased estate,"  lie  said  with  a  low  bow.  "I 
trust  there  is  enough  brandy  left  in  the  govern- 
ment tubs  that  all  of  us  can  drink  to  your  good 
fortune."  Mikhail  Etolin's  fat  face  wrinkled 
in  acknowledgment  of  the  compliment,  but  he 
raised  a  warning  finger  as  he  made  reply. 

"Time  enough  later,  my  boy,  to  think  of 
that,"  he  returned  ponderously.  "Just  now,  I 
want  to  know  what  you  expect  me  to  do  with 
these  women  you  have  brought?"  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch's  eyes  twinkled. 

"I  had  thought  of  your  house,"  he  said  inno- 
cently. "  It  is  the  most  comfortable  of  the  lot. ' ' 
Mikhail  Etolin's  little  eyes  grew  narrower  and 
he  looked  suspiciously  at  the  young  man. 

"I  believe  the  one  you  are  in  will  do  well 
enough,"  he  said  dryly.  "You  can  carry  your 
things  across  to  the  house  that  little  Gvosdef 
occupied  and  leave  the  other  place  to  them. 
The  men  I  can  quarter  in  the  warehouse  sheds. ' ' 

Ivan  Egorovitch  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
grinned  somewhat  ruefully  at  the  unexpected 
turning  of  his  joke. 

"All  right,"  he  said.  "But  have  they  taken 
Moissei  Simeonovitch  away?" 


64  THE  CHALLENGE 

"No,  but  they  will  before  you  need  the  place 
to-night."  The  young  man  saw  the  chance  to 
reach  the  lieutenant  in  turn. 

"I  am  glad  he  is  still  there,"  he  said  with  as- 
sumed frankness.  "His  father  will  see  him 
then  before  he  is  put  underground." 

Mikhail  Etolin  woke  slowly  to  an  understand- 
ing of  the  words,  and  stood  blinking  his  little 
eyes. 

"What  do  you  mean!"  he  demanded. 

"Nothing,  except  that  his  father  is  aboard 
there  on  the  boat  and  was  afraid  that  you  would 
hold  the  funeral  before  he  got  ashore.  He  is 
the  priest  sent  out  by  the  company  for  the  larger 
post."  The  lieutenant  was  visibly  startled  by 
the  news. 

"He  would  have  been  right  in  his  fear  if  I 
had  known  that  he  was  there,"  he  said  hastily. 
His  face  darkened  and  he  looked  ominously  at 
the  young  man. 

"Why  did  not  you  tell  me  this  at  once?"  he 
demanded.  "Where  is  he  now?" 

"How  could  I  sooner?  This  is  the  first  time 
I  have  been  ashore.  The  priest,  though,  is  on 
the  boat,  still  waiting  for  his  turn." 

"How  do  you  know?" 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     65 

"Because  he  is  to  come  to  me  here  for  direc- 
tion as  soon  as  he  gets  away."  Mikhail  Etolin 
breathed  more  easily  and  was  visibly  relieved. 

' '  That  is  better, ' '  he  grunted.  ' '  I  can  scarce- 
ly get  the  thing  over  before  they  fetch  him  off, 
but  it  will  not  be  like  having  him  come  upon  us 
unprepared.  Akh!"  he  burst  out  suddenly, 
"the  One  God  knows  that  with  the  death  of  that 
vermin  I  had  hoped  that  the  company  would  be 
able  to  cry  quittance  of  the  breed!" 

He  looked  about  him  and  beckoned  with  his 
hand.  A  man,  at  work  about  the  luggage,  left  it 
and  came  to  where  he  stood.  He  talked  with 
him  for  a  moment  and  the  man  saluted  and  went 
rapidly  away.  The  lieutenant  turned  to  Ivan 
Egorovitch  for  a  final  word. 

"Wait  without  fail  for  the  priest,"  he  said, 
' '  and  it  will  be  well  if  you  can  hold  him  here  till 
Luka  Odintzof's  return." 

The  waiting  was  not  for  long.  The  priest 
made  spur  of  his  anxiety  to  hasten  his  desire 
and  the  women  were  scarcely  arranged  for  and 
sent  on,  when  he  appeared  on  the  beach  and 
made  his  way  eagerly  to  where  Ivan  Egorovitch 
stood.  Behind  him  came  Peter  Efimovitch,  car- 
rying a  leathern  roll  bound  tightly  round  with 


66  THE  CHALLENGE 

strips  of  twisted  cloth.  He  held  the  bundle 
closely  to  his  breast  and  there  was  an  air  of  gen- 
eral elation  in  the  way  he  looked  around. 

"I  have  found  it,"  he  said  with  dignity  as  he 
passed  Ivan  Egorovitch.  "Simeon  Gvosdef 
had  thoughtlessly  covered  it  with  his  things.  I 
knew  I  could  not  be  mistaken  when  I  said  there 
were  seven."  He  walked  on  without  waiting 
for  an  answer  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  un- 
willingly to  the  priest. 

"You  will  have  to  wait,"  he  said  with  an 
effort.  "I  can  not  go  till  the  man  comes  back 
who  has  charge  of  this  pile  of  things." 

He  bent  above  the  luggage  to  hide  his  telltale 
flush  and  moved  the  pieces  busily  from  side  to 
side.  The  priest,  however,  scarcely  seemed  to 
hear  and  showed  no  interest  in  what  he  did.  His 
lifelong  habit  of  humility  dominated  even  the 
impatience  of  his  grief  and  he  set  down  his  bag 
and  stood  listlessly  by,  betraying  neither  by 
word  nor  look  his  heart-sick  eagerness  to  be  on 
the  road.  He  seemed  totally  unconscious  of  the 
stir  and  movement  round  him  and  waited  de- 
jectedly and  in  silence,  without  moving  from  his 
place. 

Ivan  Egorovitch,  as  he  worked,  watched  him 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     67 

covertly  and  found  it  hard  to  make  the  pretense 
that  would  fill  the  lagging  moments  as  they 
passed.  When  Luka  Odintzof  returned,  he  ran 
to  meet  him  and  came  back  with  him  to  the 
place. 

"Is  it  arranged!"  he  whispered. 

"Yes,"  said  the  man,  "they  have  done  what 
they  could  and  I  was  to  tell  you  that  you  should 
let  him  come."  Ivan  Egorovitch  gave  a  great 
sigh  of  relief  and  spoke  immediately  to  the 
priest. 

' '  This  man  will  take  my  place, ' '  he  said.  ' l  If 
you  are  ready,  come."  Simeon  Gvosdef  gath- 
ered himself  eagerly  and  took  up  his  bag.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  timed  his  pace  to  the  handicap  of  his 
companion's  burden  and  began  at  once  to  climb 
the  hill. 

The  little  group  of  houses  that  made  up  the 
post  were  set  irregularly  on  the  sloping  crest 
of  the  first  level  above  the  sea.  There  was 
none  of  any  size,  except  the  long  warehouse  built 
of  split  logs,  and  it  was  the  only  one  with  a 
stockade.  The  various  dwellings  stood  around 
in  the  cramped  clearing  without  particular  plan, 
low  and  squat,  a  single  story  high.  Two  stood 
together,  a  little  apart  from  the  rest,  and  it  was 


68  THE  CHALLENGE 

at  the  door  of  one  of  these  that  Ivan  Egorovitch 
stopped. 

''This  is  the  place,"  he  said  soberly,  and 
crossed  himself  as  he  thought  of  the  dead  man 
lying  within.  "  Go  in  as  you  will.  If  you  need 
me  further,  you  will  find  me  at  the  house  across 
the  way." 

The  priest  eased  down  his  burden  and  leaned 
it  against  the  door.  For  an  agonized  instant 
he  stood  with  his  hands  pressed  together  as  if 
to  gain  courage  for  the  task.  Then  with  a  sob 
he  went  swiftly  forward  and  disappeared  into 
the  house.  Ivan  Egorovitch  waited  till  he  was 
fully  out  of  sight  and  then  went  slowly  across 
to  the  house  he  had  pointed  out.  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna  was  standing  in  the  doorway. 

"Is  that  where  Simeon  Gvosdef  is  to  find  his 
son?"  she  asked,  gazing  across  at  the  open 
door  with  the  fascinated  curiosity,  that  the 
place  where  death  is  awakens  inevitably  in  the 
young. 

"Do  not  look  at  it,"  he  answered,  pushing 
her  back  from  the  open  space.  "Come,  let  us 
go  inside."  She  yielded  to  his  mood  and  they 
entered  without  further  word.  But  the  girl's 
thoughts  were  busy  with  the  tragedy  against 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     69 

which  her  skirts  had  brushed  and  she  could  not 
get  it  from  her  mind. 

"0  Tatiana,"  she  cried  excitedly,  "the  dead 
man  is  in  that  house  across  the  way!  His  fa- 
ther has  just  gone  in!"  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
raised  her  eyes  meditatively  from  the  clothes 
which  she  was  sorting  and  gazed  out  through 
the  open  door. 

"Poor  fellow!"  she  said  commiseratingly. 
"We  all  step  off,  one  after  the  other,  but  that 
does  not  make  it  easier  when  one  sees  the  others 
go.  Will  there  be  a  funeral,  do  you  think?" 

"I  suppose  so — now,"  said  the  young  man. 
"His  father  is  a  priest.  Still,  it  can  not  be 
rightly  done,"  he  added,  "for  there  is  no  church 
nor  deacon,  and  not  even  a  two-kopeck  candle  in 
the  place." 

"Still,  it  will  be  a  funeral,"  said  Tatiana  with 
a  sigh  of  content.  ' '  There  were  such  beautiful 
funerals  at  Kirsanov.  One  could  weep  and 
weep,  and  I  always  stayed  till  the  Eternal 
Memory  was  sung."  Motrya  Petrovna  leaned 
forward  and  looked  fixedly  at  the  other  house. 

"Ivan,"  she  said,  "Simeon  Gvosdef  is  com- 
ing out  and  I  believe  he  is  coming  here. ' ' 

The  young  man  assured  himself  of  the  truth 


70  THE  CHALLENGE 

of  what  she  said  and  went  quietly  to  the  door. 
Simeon  Gvosdef  met  him  there  and  seized  him 
with  both  hands.  He  was  speechless  with  emo- 
tion and  his  breath  came  in  great  gasps. 

"My  boy !"  he  cried  when  he  could  force  him- 
self to  talk.  "They  will  not  let  me  see  my 
boy!"  He  clung  to  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  un- 
reasoning frenzy  and  shook  him  to  add  force  to 
what  he  said.  "Where  is  the  lieutenant f" 
he  managed  to  get  out.  "Take  me  to  him  at 
once!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  guessed  shrewdly 
what  had  happened  and  wasted  no  time  in  un- 
necessary words. 

"Come,"  he  said,  and  led  the  way  across  the 
open  space.  The  priest  pressed  closely  at  his 
elbow,  but  made  no  more  complaint,  and  they 
went  swiftly  and  without  speech  back  by  the 
storing-sheds  and  up  to  the  house  at  the  edge 
of  the  little  plain  in  which  Mikhail  Etolin  lived. 

It  was  getting  toward  six  o'clock  and  the 
lieutenant  sat  on  a  cushioned  bench  before 
his  door,  resting  himself  while  he  awaited  the 
summons  to  his  evening  meal.  His  coat  was 
off  and  his  linen  sack  was  open  at  the  throat. 
He  had  a  fan  in  one  hand  and  in  the  other  a 
half-filled  bowl  of  tea. 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED      71 

He  rose  inquiringly  as  the  two  approached 
and  carefully  set  down  his  cup.  Then,  as  if 
suddenly  recognizing  his  visitors,  he  came  cum- 
brously  forward  a  pace  or  two. 

"This  is  the  priest,  I  suppose, "  he  said  in 
his  wheezy  voice,  and  reverently  put  out  his 
hand.  Moved  unconsciously  by  habit,  Simeon 
Gvosdef  reached  out  his  hand  to  touch  him  and 
gave  him  mechanically  the  blessing  he  had 
asked:  The  lieutenant  drew  out  a  bench  and 
motioned  his  visitors  to  sit  down. 

"You  will  take  some  tea  with  me,  of  course," 
he  said,  and  turning,  called  through  the  open 
door,  "Mitry,  fill  up  the  samovar  and  bring  us 
two  more  cups."  Simeon  Gvosdef  refused  the 
proffered  drink,  though  the  unexpected  friend- 
liness of  the  lieutenant  embarrassed  him  so 
that  he  stood  for  a  moment  uncertain  where  to 
begin.  But  as  the  sense  of  his  wrongs  came 
back  to  him,  he  found  no  lack  of  words. 

' '  You  are  commander  here, ' '  he  said.  ' '  Why 
is  it  you  will  not  let  me  see  my  son!" 

Mikhail  Etolin  had  evidently  foreseen  this 
interview  and  question  and  had  determined  be- 
forehand how  they  should  be  met.  His  little 
eyes  blinked  blankly  at  his  interlocutor  and  his 


72  THE  CHALLENGE 

lips  parted  in  a  smile  of  polite  surprise  and 
interrogation. 

"What  is  this?"  he  demanded.  "You  have 
a  son  here  at  the  post?"  He  looked  at  Ivan 
Egorovitch  rather  than  at  the  priest  and  the 
young  man  felt  he  was  expected  to  reply. 

"It  is  Moissei  Gvosdef,  your  Well-born,"  he 
said  in  a  low  voice.  He  was  not  a  good  actor 
and  it  was  plain  he  was  not  at  ease.  Mikhail 
Etolin's  mouth  opened  and  his  face  lighted  as  if 
in  sudden  comprehension,  and  he  began  mourn- 
fully to  shake  his  head. 

"Akh!  that  is  bad,"  he  said  in  a  whisper. 
"But  surely  he  is  not  buried  yet?" 

6  '  No,  but  they  will  not  let  me  see  him. ' ' 

"Not  see  him!" 

"No,  I  was  told  it  was  not  allowed." 

"This  must  be  looked  into,"  said  the  lieuten- 
ant with  a  show  of  astonishment.  "What  rea- 
son did  they  give  for  not  letting  you  go  in?" 

<  <  They  did  not  prevent  me  from  going  in ;  but 
the  boy  has  been  bound  in  cloth  and  sewed  so 
I  could  not  see  even  his  face ! ' ' 

"Oh!"  said  the  lieutenant,  as  if  with  new 
understanding.  "I  thought  they  had  shut  you 
from  the  house. ' ' 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     73 

Simeon  Gvosdef  shook  his  head.  Then,  with! 
a  fierceness  that  was  almost  accusation,  he  faced 
the  lieutenant  and  looked  him  squarely  in  the 
eyes. 

"How  was  it  that  He  died?"  he  demanded 
harshly.  Ivan  Egorovitch's  heart  stood  still 
and  he  awaited  breathlessly  what  the  lieutenant 
would  say.  His  conscience  could  not  but  be 
shocked  at  the  deceit  in  which  he  had  a  part,  but 
in  spite  of  that  there  stirred  in  him  a  thrill  of 
admiration  for  the  skill  and  coolness  the  lieu- 
tenant displayed.  The  fat  man  met  the  priest's 
question  frankly.  His  manner  waived  gra- 
ciously the  accusation  it  implied  and  showed  in 
itself  only  the  desire  to  be  kind. 

"He  was  crushed  by  a  tree  which  fell  on  him 
as  he  worked,"  he  said  simply.  "As  to  the 
cloth,  it  was  a  necessary  thing.  I  could  not 
leave  him  out  there  where  it  happened,  without 
a  service  or  a  word  of  prayer,  if  only  that  I 
wanted  him  to  be  satisfied  and  stay  away  when 
once  we  had  put  him  underground.  There  was 
the  sun  to  fight,  and  the  flies,  and  it  was  a  long 
way  to  come.  To  cover  him  with  a  cloth  and 
keep  it  moist  seemed  the  only  way  to  manage 
while  we  brought  him  in." 


74  THE  CHALLENGE 

His  manner  was  so  plausible  and  he  mingled 
fact  and  fancy  so  skilfully  in  what  he  said, 
that  if  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  not  known  that  the 
concealment  of  the  body  was  but  lately  done, 
he  could  have  believed  in  the  explanation  him- 
self. The  priest  was  bewildered,  but  not  yet 
convinced.  The  cunning  excuse  cut  out  the 
props  on  which  his  suspicion  had  been  built,  but 
his  heart  still  cried  out  unreasoningly  against 
his  son's  death  as  a  wrong.  He  received  the 
explanation  in  dogged  silence,  turning  the  mat- 
ter over  confusedly  in  his  mind. 

"Then  why  did  they  refuse  to  let  me  see 
him?"  he  demanded  resentfully.  Mikhail  Eto- 
lin  drew  up  his  shoulders  and  threw  out  his 
hands. 

"Because  they  were  fools!"  he  said  shortly. 
"I  can  see  no  reason  beyond  that  it  made  them 
extra  trouble  and  was  unusual  to  be  asked." 
The  priest  clasped  his  hands  together  and  broke 
into  excited  speech. 

"Then  I  may  see  him  once  again?"  he  cried 
entreatingly.  "At  least  you  will  let  me  see 
his  face!"  Mikhail  Etolin  drew  down  his  eye- 
brows thoughtfully  and  half  shook  his  head. 

"It  would  be  better  not,"  he  urged.    "He 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     75 

lias  been  dead  too  long  to  be  good  to  see.  But 
if  you  can  not  do  without — " 

' '  Oh,  I  must !  I  must ! ' '  broke  in  Simeon  Gvos- 
def  eagerly. 

"Very  well,  then,'7  said  the  lieutenant,  "I 
will  see  what  can  be  done."  He  called  for  his 
coat  and  struggled  into  it  and,  putting  on  his 
hat,  set  out  at  once  to  put  his  promise  into  deed. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  followed  silently  behind. 

"About  the  service,  father,"  said  Mikhail 
Etolin  as  they  walked.  "We  have  no  church 
and  for  you  to  do  it  will  be  hard.  But  there 
is  no  other  priest  and  if  you  do  not,  I  shall  have 
to  read."  The  priest  nodded  understandingly 
and  drew  his  hand  up  to  his  throat. 

"I  will  do  it,"  he  said  tremulously,  yet  de- 
cidedly. "He  shall  have  all  that  I  can  do  to 
rest  his  soul." 

"You  have  your  robes?" 

"They  are  in  my  bundle  at  the  house." 

"Very  well.  Make  yourself  ready.  It  lacks 
but  half  an  hour  to  the  time  that  has  been  set. ' ' 

They  relapsed  into  silence  and  so  continued 
until  the  two  houses  had  again  been  reached. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  aside  to  the  one  where 
he  lived.  The  others,  without  noticing  his  de- 


76  THE  CHALLENGE 

fection,  proceeded  on  their  way  and  entered  to- 
gether into  the  other  house. 

It  was  half  an  hour  later  that  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch,  accompanied  by  the  two  women,  came  out 
and  went  across  to  the  house  where  the  services 
were  to  be  held.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  carried 
her  baby,  holding  her  handkerchief  above  its 
eyes  to  shelter  it  from  the  sun.  The  room 
where  the  body  lay  was  low  and  square  and 
had  such  diminutive  windows  that  it  was  dark 
even  in  the  day.  An  altar  had  been  improvised 
from  a  table  set  below  the  holy  picture  at  the 
farther  end,  and  on  it  were  the  book  for  the 
service  and  seven  generous  candles  taken  from 
Simeon  Gvosdef  's  private  store.  The  flickering 
yellow  flames  of  these  helped  much  to  make 
things  visible  in  the  room  and  sent  dancing 
shadows  all  across  the  walls.  A  pot  with  in- 
cense smoldered  at  one  side  and  the  heavy 
vapor  from  it  struggled  bravely  with  the  vague 
odor  of  mortality  that  filled  the  place. 

The  score  of  men  who  made  the  population  of 
the  post  stood  here  and  there  in  subdued  rustling 
groups  and  whispered  idly  as  they  waited  for 
the  service  to  begin.  The  priest  was  not  in  the 
room,  but  Mikhail  Etolin  sat  listlessly  on  a 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     77 

bench  near  the  altar,  his  puffy  hands  clasped 
aimlessly  in  his  lap. 

The  body  of  the  boy,  still  wrapped  in  its 
cerements  of  cloth,  was  set  with  its  head  to  the 
altar,  and  the  loosened  flap  across  the  face  re- 
vealed that  the  priest's  persistence  had  won  its 
way.  There  was  nothing,  however,  to  show  that 
he  had  read  the  truth  from  the  dead  man 's  face, 
and  Ivan  Egorovitch  sat  quietly  down  by 
Motrya  Petrovna  and  fell  to  waiting  like  the 
rest. 

The  room  grew  absolutely  still,  except  as 
some  person  among  the  lookers-on  shifted  a 
foot  or  punctuated  his  impatience  with  a  deep, 
sighing  breath/  The  sunlight  from  the  western 
window  stretched  a  bar  of  white  through  the 
thick  air  to  a  bright  circle  on  the  wall  beyond. 
Mikhail  Etolin's  great  body  rose  and  fell 
placidly  as  he  breathed.  The  baby  made  low, 
contented  noises  as  it  lay  in  its  mother's  lap, 
and  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  responding  to  the 
stimulus  of  the  time  and  place,  threw  up  her 
head  and  leaned  contentedly  back,  prepared  to 
experience  to  the  full  her  coming  thrills  of 
grief. 

The   silence   grew   oppressive    and   Mikhail 


78  THE  CHALLENGE 

Etolin,  awaking  from  his  lethargy,  roused  up 
and  looked  impatiently  at  the  inner  door. 
Finally,  from  beyond  it,  there  came  the  noise 
as  of  a  bench  pushed  back,  a  scraping  as  of  foot- 
steps, then  the  door  opened,  and  Simeon 
Gvosdef  came  hurriedly  into  the  room. 

His  face  was  very  pale,  and  he  looked  neither 
to  the  right  nor  to  the  left.  In  one  hand  he  held 
a  slip  of  folded  paper  and  in  the  other  carried 
a  small,  pointed  knife.  He  was  in  his  full  robes 
and  the  people  in  the  room  roused  themselves 
in  expectation  of  his  beginning  the  service  they 
had  come  to  hear.  His  mind  seemed  bent  on 
something  else,  however,  for,  without  a  word, 
he,  went  swiftly  to  where  the  body  lay  and  with 
his  knife  began  cutting  at  the  stitches  that 
held  the  canvas  together  at  the  side.  He  bent 
above  the  body  and  worked  with  eager  haste, 
but  his  hands  trembled  as  if  he  had  a  palsy  and 
he  did  not  seem  to  see  clearly  that  which  he 
essayed. 

Mikhial  Etolin  watched  him  with  astonish- 
ment for  a  moment  and  then  rose  up  and  went 
quickly  to  his  side. 

"  What  are  you  doing  ?"  he  demanded  roughly, 
and  seized  him  by  the  arm.  "Why  do  you  not 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     79 

begin?"  Simeon  Gvosdef  struggled  vainly  for 
a  moment  and  then  passively  allowed  himself 
to  be  pushed  away.  He  lifted  to  Mikhail  Etolin 
a  face  distorted  by  the  frenzy  of  his  emotion, 
and  fixed  on  him  his  fiercely  accusing  eyes. 

"It  is  his  passport !"  he  cried,  holding  up  the 
strip  of  paper  he  had  brought.  "I  have  writ- 
ten it  and  it  is  my  right  to  place  it  in  his  hand." 
It  was  a  clever  stroke  and  the  lieutenant, 
taken  unawares,  let  go  his  grip  and  stood  look- 
ing at  him,  stupidly  making  up  his  mind.  The 
priest  was  undoubtedly  within  his  right  if  he 
chose  to  make  the  claim,  and  already  in  the 
room  Mikhail  Etolin  could  hear  the  murmur 
of  interest  and  assent  that  ran  from  mouth  to 
mouth.  His  face  flushed  violently  and  he  made 
a  determined  stand. 

"That  is  for  the  dying,"  he  said  contempt- 
uously. i '  There  is  no  application  when  the  man 
is  dead!"  The  priest's  eyes  blazed  and  he 
threw  up  an  interrupting  hand. 

6  '  '  For  those  who  suffer  accident  and  come  to 
bloody  death,'  '  he  quoted  solemnly.  "How 
did  he  die,  Mikhail  Etolin?  How  did  he  come 
to  die?" 

As  before,  his  question  had  all  the  bitterness 


80  THE  CHALLENGE 

of  accusation  and  his  eyes  did  not  once  waver 
while  he  waited  for  a  reply.  Mikhail  Sergeie- 
vitch's  slow  wits  failed  to  find  for  him  a 
ready  answer  and  he  stood,  swelling  vindictively 
and  looking  angrily,  first  at  his  accuser, 
and  then  at  the  people  in  the  room.  His  con- 
fusion made  Simeon  Gvosdef  still  more  bold. 
Pushing  out  his  head  till  his  face  almost  touched 
that  of  the  man  to  whom  he  spoke,  he  delivered 
a  final  shot. 

"Is  it  that  you  are  afraid,  Mikhail  Sergeie- 
vitch,  of  that  which  I  should  see!"  he  demanded 
in  a  whisper  so  shrill  that  it  was  audible  all 
around  the  room.  The  lieutenant  came  to  his 
senses  with  a  snort. 

"Bah!"  he  cried,  "what  is  there  to  conceal? 
Give  me  the  knife!"  Checked  unexpectedly  in 
his  attempt  at  personal  examination  of  the 
corpse,  the  priest  hesitated  for  a  moment  and 
then  irresolutely  surrendered  the  weapon  that 
he  held.  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  took  it  without 
a  word  and,  turning  to  the  dead  man,  began  in 
his  deliberate  way  to  rip  out  the  stitches  at 
the  point  where  Simeon  Gvosdef  had  stopped. 
The  priest  had  not  imagined  that  the  lieutenant 
would  yield  to  his  demand,  and  standing  with 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BUEIED      81 

close-pressed  hands  and  muscles  rigid  as  if  he 
had  been  turned  to  stone,  followed  his  advance 
with  a  look  in  his  eyes  that  was  almost  terror. 

When  the  opening  in  the  shroud  had  been 
lengthened  almost  to  the  waist,  Mikhail  Etolin 
laid  down  the  knife  and,  reaching  under  the 
cloth,  laid  hold  of  Moissei  Gvosdef  's  hand  with 
the  intention  of  drawing  it  outside.  But  the 
joints  had  stiffened  in  the  time  that  he  had 
been  dead  and  when  Mikhail  Etolin  pulled,  the 
whole  body  moved  toward  him  as  if  it  had  been 
alive. 

There  was  an  instant  stir  of  horror  in  the 
room  and  the  dead  man's  father  sprang  for- 
ward with  a  pathetic  little  cry.  But  before  he 
reached  the  body,  Mikhail  Etolin,  steadying  it 
with  one  hand,  drew  out  with  the  other  the  un- 
willing limb  and  slid  the  cloth  deftly  under  it 
again  down  to  the  side. 

The  clothing  had  been  thriftily  taken  from 
Moissei  Gvosdef 's  body  before  it  was  closed  in 
and  the  arm  was  bare  from  the  shoulder  to  the 
wrist.  Mikhail  Etolin  turned  sharply  away 
from  it  and  faced  the  priest.  His  lips  were 
drawn  into  a  snarl,  and  he  thrust  down  the  hand 
that  had  held  the  dead  man's  and  rubbed  the 


82  THE  CHALLENGE 

palm  of  it  against  his  thigh,  as  if  to  cleanse  it 
from  something  that  was  unclean. 

"Is  this  enough?"  he  demanded  harshly. 
"Give  him  the  passport  and  make  a  finish  of 
your  work!"  The  priest  came  swiftly  to  the 
body  and,  bending  down,  slipped  the  paper  into 
the  dead  man's  half-closed  hand. 

"Go  now  to  God,"  he  said  brokenly.  "I 
have  done  what  I  could  and,  if  it  is  His  will, 
you  shall  enter  into  His  peace. ' ' 

His  fingers  lingered  lovingly  on  the  unre- 
sponsive flesh  and  he  ended  by  drawing  down 
the  flap  that  covered  up  the  face  and  kissing 
him  tenderly  between  the  eyes.  Then,  as  gently, 
he  drew  back  the  cover  into  place,  and,  as  if  the 
thing  had  never  happened,  took  from  the  table 
his  book  and,  opening  it,  began  to  read  the  ser- 
vice he  had  so  long  delayed. 

Mikhail  Etolin  interpreted  his  action  as  a 
final  admission  of  defeat  and  after  watching 
him  closely  for  a  time,  returned  to  his  former 
seat.  The  priest,  however,  had  not  abandoned 
his  purpose,  but  was  simply  biding  his  time. 
He  read  on  steadily  and  without  change  of 
voice,  but  his  shifty  eyes  were  always  on  Mik- 
hail Etolin  and  he  watched  intently  for  the  lapse 


THE  PBIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     83 

in  vigilance  on  his  part  that  alone  could  prom- 
ise him  success. 

He  followed  custom  closely  in  the  service,  ex- 
cept that,  when  he  knelt,  it  was  not  before  the 
altar,  but  by  the  body's  side.  More  than  once 
his  hand  stole  cautiously  out  toward  the  de- 
sired goal,  only  to  find  that  the  lieutenant 
was  alert  and  it  was  but  the  part  of  caution  to 
delay  the  chance.  But  in  the  end  his  patience 
was  rewarded  and  before  the  closing  prayer  the 
crisis  came. 

Those  assembled  had  risen  from  the  confes- 
sion and  the  priest,  kneeling  beside  the  body, 
raised  up  his  voice  in  the  beautiful  Rest  with 
the  saints,  0  Christ,  Thy  servant's  soul.  His 
listeners,  responsive  to  the  grave  sweetness  of 
the  chant,  joined  in  till  the  place  was  filled  with 
the  stirring  tide  of  song.  The  baby  fretted,  and 
Tatiana  Vassilievna,  herself  grown  nervous 
with  the  excitement  and  the  child's  care,  rose 
from  her  place  and  walked  softly  back  and  forth 
behind  the  seats  and  hushed  it  by  moving  it 
gently  up  and  down. 

But  at  the  sharp  break  in  the  music  where 
the  voices  stop  and  there  is  silence  before  they 
are  lifted  in  the  grand  final  strain,  her  feelings 


84  THE  CHALLENGE 

overcame  her  and,  with  her  breast  pressed  close 
against  the  window-sill,  she  sobbed  bitterly 
aloud.  Mikhail  Etolin's  attention  was  caught 
by  the  unusual  sound.  Forgetting  for  the  mo- 
ment his  vigil  over  the  priest,  he  turned  his 
head  and  looked  to  see  whence  the  interruption 
came. 

It  was  only  for  a  moment,  but  it  was  enough. 
Stealthily  but  swiftly  the  priest's  hand  went 
out  and  disappeared  beneath  the  canvas  that 
covered  the  body  of  the  dead.  For  a  brief  in- 
stant he  kept  his  posture  till  he  was  fully  sure. 
Then  with  a  cry  that  drew  all  faces  toward 
himself,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  stripped  back 
the  covering  so  that  the  boy's  whole  body  was 
exposed. 

1  ' See!"  he  cried  wildly.  "See!  What  will 
he  tell  me  now?"  He  raised  the  body  so  that  it 
was  visible  to  all  who  were  in  the  room.  The 
skin  showed  pallid  in  the  uncertain  light,  but 
over  the  heart  there  was  an  open  wound  and 
around  it  the  brown  stain  of  blood  that  those 
who  prepared  it  for  burial  had  not  thought  it 
worth  while  to  wash  away. 

There  was  a  stir  of  responsive  excitement 
among  the  lookers-on,  and  more  than  one  moved 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED     85 

involuntarily  from  his  place.  But  the  feeling 
that  it  was  Mikhail  Etolin's  affair,  not  theirs, 
held  all  of  them  in  check,  and  they  waited  where 
they  were,  with  eyes  turned  curiously  on  the 
lieutenant  to  see  what  he  would  do. 

At  the  first  cry  from  the  priest,  his  eyes  had 
come  swiftly  back  to  the  scene  in  front  of  him, 
and  he  made  a  movement  forward  as  if  to  in- 
terfere. Then,  seeing  that  the  harm  was  done 
and  that  no  word  or  artifice  of  his  could  further 
set  aside  the  truth,  he  stopped  and  with  a  shrug 
of  resignation  stood  in  his  place  and  waited  like 
the  rest. 

Simeon  Gvosdef  held  up  the  body  only  for  a 
moment  and  then  let  it  drop  slowly  to  the  bench. 
As  if  suddenly  ashamed  that  he  had  so  exposed 
its  nakedness,  he  hastily  drew  up  the  cloth  and 
with  awkward  hands  endeavored  to  arrange 
smoothly  over  it  the  narrow  folds.  Then,  as  he 
raised  his  head,  his  glance  fell  on  Mikhail  Etolin 
and  his  paternal  tenderness  was  swept  aside  by 
the  thought  of  the  way  in  which  he  had  been 
wronged. 

He  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height  and  fixed 
on  the  lieutenant  a  look  so  fierce  in  the  in- 
tensity of  its  hate  that  Mikhail  Etolin 's  eyes 


86  THE  CHALLENGE 

went  involuntarily  before  it  to  the  floor.  For 
a  time  no  word  was  said  and  the  priest  con- 
tinued standing  with  his  lips  working  dryly 
at  the  words  he  could  not  speak.  Then  his  de- 
sire for  revenge  found  need  for  something  more 
than  speech  and  his  hand  went  groping  out  be- 
hind him  to  the  table  and  took  hold  on  the  knife 
where  Mikhail  Etolin  had  laid  it  down.  His 
purpose  was  so  plain  that  a  dozen  men  among 
the  spectators  started  hurriedly  to  their  feet. 
The  interference  was  not  needed,  however,  for 
their  movement  broke  the  spell  for  Simeon 
Gvosdef ,  so  that  the  reaction  came. 

He  drew  the  weapon  to  him  and  even  took 
a  step  forward  with  it  in  his  hand.  But  he  could 
not  hold  either  hand  or  body  steady  and  shook 
his  head  savagely  again  and  again  as  if  to  clear 
away  some  obstruction  that  hung  before  his 
eyes.  He  made  a  pitiable  struggle  with  himself 
to  regain  his  self-control,  but  in  spite  of  his  de- 
termination, his  movements  grew  more  waver- 
ing and  his  eyes  less  bright  until,  with  a  sharp 
cry  of  anguish  and  despair,  he  let  himself  go  and 
plunged  headlong  to  the  floor.  Mikhail  Etolin 
saw  to  his  uplifting  and  ordered  him  carried 
out.  Then,  turning  to  the  little  group  that  had 


THE  PRIEST'S  SON  IS  BURIED      87 

watched  the  tragedy  with  wondering  eyes,  he 
said  in  his  deliberate  way: 

"We  will  not  wait  for  the  finishing  of  this 
service  for  the  dead.  Moissei  Gvosdef  will  be 
buried  at  once  and  without  further  rite.  And 
lest  some  of  you  who  have  seen  what  has  hap- 
pened here  to-night  should  remember  and  not 
understand,  I  will  say  that  this  man's  death  was 
not  a  murder  made  possible  by  me,  but  a  just 
and  necessary  thing  and  mercifully  done ! ' ' 


CHAPTER  V 

FINDS  A  MISSION 

Peter  Efimovitch  was  the  only  man  among  the 
new-comers  who  did  not  find  his  quarters  in  the 
barrack-sheds.  He  had  been  billeted  there  with 
the  rest,  but,  after  a  short  inspection  of  the  com- 
forts of  the  place,  with  his  usual  decision  of 
character,  he  had  taken  up  his  bed  and  retired 
with  it  to  the  house  where  Motrya  Petrovna 
and  Tatiana  Vassilievna  had  been  lodged. 

The  first  night  he  spent  in  peace,  but  the  sec- 
ond day  his  defection  was  reported  to  the  lieu- 
tenant, who  promptly  ordered  Ivan  Egorovitch 
to  tell  him  to  return.  The  young  man  accepted 
the  commission  with  reluctance. 

"Send  somebody  else,  Mikhail  Sergeievitch," 
he  begged  ruefully.  "The  old  man  has  none 
too  good  an  opinion  of  me  now,  and  if  I  go,  he 
will  never  afterward  let  me  come  into  the 
house." 

"Bah!"  said  the  lieutenant  with  a  grin. 
"It  will  give  you  a  chance  to  even  up  with  him 

88 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION         89 

for  some  of  the  trouble  he  caused  you  once  at 
home.  I  suppose,  though,  for  that  matter,  you 
might  let  the  women  decide.  He  will  have  to 
have  his  own  house  in  the  end  and  if  they  are 
not  crowded,  it  will  probably  do  no  harm. ' ' 

Ivan  Egorovitch  seized  on  the  alternative 
with  a  grateful  heart.  As  a  tribute  of  good 
feeling,  he  dropped  down  the  channel  in  his 
boat  and  gathered  another  armful  of  the  flowers 
in  which  Motrya  Petrovna  had  found  delight, 
and,  thus  equipped,  presented  himself  irreso- 
lutely at  the  women's  door.  He  found  them 
busy  with  the  unpacking  and  arrangement  of 
their  things.  Peter  Efimovitch  sat  in  the  door- 
way where  he  could  see  both  in  and  out,  and 
smoked  and  looked  on  contentedly  while  the 
others  worked.  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  her 
sleeves  rolled  up  and  her  hair  bristling  in  dis- 
order with  the  vigor  of  her  activity,  was  sorting 
various  articles  and  bustlingly  carrying  one 
after  another  to  its  appointed  place.  Motrya 
Petrovna  was  seated  on  the  floor,  with  the  baby 
handy  on  a  mattress,  and  on  her  other  side  a 
hamper  half  unpacked,  from  which  she  was  lift- 
ing out  the  articles  that  Tatiana  Vassilievna  put 
away. 


90  THE  CHALLENGE 

With  a  surly  nod  of  welcome,  the  old  man 
made  room  for  Ivan  Egorovitch  to  pass  in  and 
he  entered  and  stood  waiting,  his  flowers  in  his 
hand.  Motrya  Petrovna  rose  at  once  and  came 
to  him. 

"More  flowers?"  she  said.  "I  might  have 
known  that  you  would  think. "  She  took  them 
from  him  and  stood  looking  for  a  place  in  the 
confusion  where  they  could  be  safely  set. 

"They  will  be  a  comfort  in  the  house,"  she 
said,  "but  I  am  waiting  most  impatiently  for 
you  to  take  me  where  I  can  pick  them  for  my- 
self." 

"It  is  only  a  question  of  the  day,"  he  an- 
swered. "As  soon  as  it  is  bright  you  shall 
surely  go." 

"I  shall  ask  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  to  do  it  for 
me  if  you  forget.  If  he  is  to  be  of  the  family, 
as  you  promised,  I  am  going  to  make  him  use- 
ful from  the  start."  Ivan  Egorovitch  gave  a 
chuckle  of  delight. 

"You  had  better  stick  to  me,"  he  counseled. 
"I  have  not  a  doubt  but  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
would  do  his  best,  but  I  do  not  believe  he  would 
know  a  blossom  from  a  bramble,  if  he  had  it  in 
his  fist." 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION          91 

"He  is  a  good  hunter, "  retorted  the  girl 
witli  a  show  of  warmth.  "He  brought  us  a  lot 
of  birds  that  he  had  shot  this  morning. ' '  Ivan 
Egorovitch  gave  an  understanding  cry. 

"Ah!"  he  said,  "that  is  why  he  got  out  so 
early.  I  wondered  where  it  was  that  he  had 
gone. ' ' 

i '  He  is  coming  back  to  help  us  eat  them, ' '  she 
volunteered  demurely.  "Tatiana  asked  him. 
She  is  a  splendid  cook."  Ivan  Egorovitch 
drew  up  his  shoulders  ruefully. 

"On  that  chance  any  man  here  would  go  out 
of  his  way  to  be  of  service  to  her,"  he  said. 
"I  should  be  glad  to  get  in  her  good  graces 
myself." 

"And  yet  you  forgot  her  and  only  remem- 
bered to  bring  flowers  to  me!"  she  murmured, 
her  eyes  bent  on  him  as  if  in  serious  reproof. 
The  young  man  looked  doubtfully  at  her  and 
then  at  Tatiana  Vassilievna  and  his  face  flushed. 
The  girl  laughed  aloud  as  she  saw  his  discom- 
fiture. 

"You  do  not  take  teasing  now  any  better 
than  you  used  to,  Ivan  Egorovitch,"  she  said 
delightedly.  Then,  turning,  she  called  to  the 
other  woman  across  the  room:  "Tatiana,  Ivan 


92  THE  CHALLENGE 

Nilof  has  come  to  help  us  put  away  the  things. 
He  will  stay  to  dinner,  so  you  must  not  forget 
to  put  him  in  the  pot.'7  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
straightened  up  from  her  work  as  if  to  rest  her 
back  and  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  young 
man. 

"Men  are  really  useful,  sometimes,  in  a 
house,"  she  said,  with  the  air  of  one  who  has 
suddenly  discovered  a  new  truth.  "But  you 
have  to  stick  to  them  like  a  wet  leaf  to  get  much 
out  of  them.  I  have  been  telling  the  Lord  in 
my  prayers  what  I  think  of  the  company  that 
has  kept  my  man  back  there  in  Yakutat  and 
left  me  to  come  on  here  and  settle  down  alone. ' ' 
The  young  man  laughed  and  nodded  vigor- 
ously. 

"It  is  a  pleasant  thing,  though,"  he  said, 
"that  you  recognize  us  even  as  a  necessary  evil 
in  the  house."  Then  turning  again  to  Motrya 
Petrovna  he  added  in  a  lower  tone :  "It  is  good 
of  you  to  ask  me.  What  am  I  to  do  to  earn 
my  dinner  as  I  should?" 

"Nothing,  of  course.  What  I  meant  was 
that  from  Tatiana 's  point  of  view,  at  least,  it 
is  the  young  man  who  comes  with  something 
definite  to  offer  who  is  most  likely  to  be  asked 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION          93 

to  stay."  A  sudden  remembrance  of  why  he 
himself  had  come  swept  over  Ivan  Egorovitch, 
and  he  looked  at  the  girl  beside  him  with 
troubled  eyes. 

"I,  too,  had  a  mission  in  seeing  you  to-day, " 
he  said  with  some  hesitation,  "but  I  fear  that 
when  you  hear  what  it  is,  you  will  not  be  so 
satisfied  to  have  me  stay. 9 9  The  girl  raised  her 
eyes  to  his  in  expectant  curiosity. 

"What  is  it?"  she  demanded  eagerly. 

"Mikhail  Sergeievitch  is  disturbed  because 
your  father  did  not  remain  with  the  others  as 
he  was  ordered  and  sleep  in  the  warehouse 
sheds.  He  sent  me  to-day  to  tell  him  he  must 
go  back. 9 ' 

The  girl's  face  grew  serious  and  she  looked 
past  him  speculatively  to  where  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch  sat.  The  old  man  was  still  smoking  con- 
tentedly, absorbed  apparently  in  pleasant 
thought.  But  there  was  a  stiffness  in  the 
way  he  held  himself  even  in  repose  and  a 
certain  setness  in  the  lines  about  his  mouth, 
which  carried  the  conviction  that  even  at  the 
best  of  times  he  kept  a  wary  and  suspicious  eye 
on  life.  The  girl  let  her  eyes  linger  lovingly 
on  him  for  a  moment  before  she  spoke. 


94  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Are  you  sure,"  she  said,  without  looking  at 
Ivan  Egorovitch,  "that  he  was  told  he  must 
stay!" 

' '  I  did  not  hear  them  given,  but  I  understood 
that  he  had  the  same  instructions  as  the  rest." 

"I  can  hardly  believe,"  said  the  girl  slowly, 
' '  that  he  would  be  foolish  enough  to  antagonize 
the  lieutenant  at  the  start.  I  will  ask  him, 
though.  But  if  he  has  made  up  his  mind, ' '  she 
added  with  a  sigh,  "I  am  afraid  you  will  not 
get  him  to  return. ' '  She  went  at  once  to  where 
Peter  Efimovitch  was  sitting  and  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch followed  her  to  the  door. 

"Father,"  she  began,  "Ivan  Nilof  says  that 
Mikhail  Sergeievitch  is  vexed  because  you  did 
not  go  with  the  others  to  the  warehouse  to 
sleep."  Peter  Efimovitch  came  out  of  his 
reverie  and  looked  keenly  from  her  to  the  young 
man. 

"Well?"  he  said  interrogatively,  and  there 
was  an  unconscious  hardening  of  the  lines  about 
his  mouth.  Motrya  Petrovna  returned  bravely 
to  the  attack. 

"Is  it  true,"  she  demanded,  "that  you  knew 
at  the  time  that  you  were  expected  to  stay  in 
that  place?"  Peter  Efimovitch 's  eyes  re- 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION          95 

mained  fixed  on  her  steadily  and  in  them  began 
to  burn  a  small  malevolent  spark. 

"Yes,  it  is  true,"  he  said  coolly,  and  waited 
as  before. 

"Then  why  did  you  not  do  it?  It  was  not 
prudent,  at  the  least,  to  defy  the  lieutenant  the 
first  time  he  gave  you  a  command." 

"I  did  not  like  it,"  returned  the  old  man 
shortly.  "It  was  not  clean  and  I  would  rather 
be  with  you." 

"But  what  good  will  it  do  you?"  persisted 
the  girl.  "He  has  sent  to-day  to  say  that  you 
must  go  back. ' '  Peter  Efimovitch  set  his  teeth 
together  with  a  snap. 

"I  will  not!"  he  declared  grimly.  "I  am  an 
accountant,  not  a  laborer,  and  am  entitled  to 
different  treatment  from  the  hunters  and  the 
rest." 

"I  do  not  think,"  said  Ivan  Egorovitch  tim- 
idly, "that  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  had  in  mind  at 
all  in  sending  you  to  the  barracks  that  the  going 
would  put  you  out.  The  order  was  made  sim- 
ply because  he  feared  it  would  make  it  too 
crowded  for  the  women  to  have  you  here  with 
them  in  the  house." 

"Let  them  settle  that  for  themselves!"  re- 


96  THE  CHALLENGE 

torted  the  old  man  sullenly.  "I  prefer  to  re- 
main here  where  I  am. ' ' 

Inserting  his  pipe  between  his  teeth,  he  turned 
his  back  on  them  both  and  began  again  the  con- 
templation of  the  surrounding  scenery  that  had 
been  holding  his  attention  when  he  was  first  dis- 
turbed. He  had  so  much  the  air  of  having  said 
the  final  word  that  Motrya  Petrovna  turned  help- 
lessly to  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  a  look  of  despair- 
ing interrogation  on  her  face.  He  put  his  hand 
out  to  her  with  a  smile. 

"Do  not  worry,"  he  said  in  a  whisper. 
"Would  Tatiana  Vassilievna  object,  if  he  should 
be  allowed  to  stay!"  She  put  her  hand  into 
his  almost  unconsciously  and  let  it  remain  there 
while  she  spoke. 

"I  do  not  think  so,"  she  said  earnestly. 
"Let  us  ask  her  and  see  what  she  will  say." 
They  went  into  the  house  together  and  out  to 
the  farther  room  where  the  older  woman  was 
at  work. 

"You  tell  her,"  said  Motrya  Petrovna  under 
her  breath.  Ivan  Egorovitch  responded  prompt- 
ly to  her  wish. 

"Tatiana  Vassilievna,"  he  began,  "are  you 
so  crowded  here  that  you  would  prefer  to 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION          97 

have  Peter  Efimovitch  go  somewhere  else  to 
sleep  1" 

Zakar  Medvedef  's  wife  thought  slowly,  and 
the  skin  was  so  tight  over  her  plump  figure  that 
as  she  undertook  the  process  and  stood  still, 
considering,  she  seemed  about  to  burst.  Motrya 
Petrovna  watched  anxiously  for  the  first  indica- 
tion of  a  break.  When  it  came  it  was  a  smile, 
and  the  girl  unconsciously  took  heart  of  her 
distress. 

"It  is  a  little  thick, "  said  the  older  woman 
frankly.  "He  has  to  sleep  in  this  room  and  I 
tread  on  him  some  in  the  mornings  when  I  cook, 
but  you  never  could  put  him  anywhere  else. 
He  hits  up  against  everything  above  him  as  nat- 
urally as  a  fish  under  the  ice,  and  would  be  un- 
happy all  the  time.  He  is  not  always  as  thank- 
ful as  one  would  like,  about  what  is  set  before 
him,  but  on  the  whole  I  have  got  accustomed 
to  him  and  would  really  be  lonesome  if  I  could 
not  hear  him  cluck."  Motrya  Petrovna  made 
a  sudden  rush  at  her  and  put  both  arms  about 
her  neck. 

"I  thought  you  would  say  he  might  stay," 
she  cried.  "He  is  a  trial,  I  know,  but  I  could 
not  bear  to  think  of  his  going  out  there  by 


98  THE  CHALLENGE 

himself."  She  did  not  wait  for  an  answer,  but 
danced  away  to  where  Ivan  Egorovitch  stood. 

"Come,"  she  said,  seizing  him  impatiently 
by  the  hand.  "Let  us  go  and  tell  him  it  is  all 
right." 

Ivan  Egorovitch  went  out  with  her  on  this 
errand  with  less  liking  than  he  had  come 
in.  At  heart  he  still  had  a  wholesome  fear  of 
the  fierce  old  man  and  had  no  desire  to  ap- 
proach him  unnecessarily,  even  as  a  bearer  of 
good  news.  The  girl,  however,  had  no  such 
qualms  and  hurried  him  unwilling  on  his  way. 

"Father,"  she  said  breathlessly,  "Tatiana 
has  no  objections  and  Ivan  is  going  to  arrange 
it  so  that  you  can  stay."  Peter  Efimovitch 
raised  his  head  quickly  and  listened  as  if  he 
had  not  heard  aright. 

"Who  is  going  to  arrange  it?"  he  demanded. 

"Ivan  Nilof."  The  old  man  blew  through 
his  nose  disdainfully  and  his  face  relaxed  into 
a  grin.  He  still  retained  the  opinion  of  the 
young  man  that  he  had  gained  through  obser- 
vation of  his  vacillating  youth,  and  the  thought 
of  leaning  on  him  for  assistance  came  to  him 
somewhat  as  a  joke. 

"I  suspect,"  he  said  dryly,  "that  his  inter- 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION          99 

cession  will  be  worth  about  as  much  to  me  as  the 
thanks  I  shall  give  him  in  return — and  they 
will  not  be  large. "  Ivan  Egorovitch's  face 
flushed  angrily  at  the  unexpected  insult  and  a 
sharp  answer  rose  up  on  his  tongue.  But  Mo- 
trya  Petrovna  was  quicker  than  he.  Her  face 
was  redder  than  his  with  shame  and  she  laid 
her  hand  restrainingly  on  his  arm. 

" Don't,  Ivan, — for  my  sake!"  she  said  ap- 
pealingly,  and  in  the  same  breath  she  turned 
to  the  old  man. 

"Oh,  how  could  you,  how  could  you!"  she 
cried  indignantly,  "when  he  was  simply  trying 
to  be  kind!" 

Peter  Efimovitch  did  not  answer,  but  it  was 
plain  from  his  face  that  he  felt  he  had  gone  too 
far.  He  sat  for  a  moment  looking  moodily  at  the 
ground  and  then,  with  an  inarticulate  snarl  of 
discontent,  rose  and  went  past  them  into  the 
house.  Motrya  Petrovna  kept  her  hold  on  Ivan 
Egorovitch  until  her  father  was  fairly  out  of 
sight.  Then  she  raised  her  face  to  his  with 
tremulous  lips  and  eyes  that  were  ashamed. 

"You  will  not  mind  him,  will  you,  Ivan!" 
she  said  coaxingly.  "He  is  old  and  not  well 
and  he  oan  not  always  hold  his  temper  as  he 


100  THE  CHALLENGE 

should."  Ivan  Egorovitch  swallowed  his  in- 
dignation bravely  and  showed  a  willingness  to 
be  beguiled, 

"I  shall  have  no  feeling,"  he  said  magnan- 
imously, "but  for  a  time,  at  least,  I  think  I  had 
better  go." 

"But  you  will  come  back?"  she  cried,  with 
a  shade  of  disappointment  in  her  voice.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  smiled  down  at  her  and  took  both 
her  hands. 

"Have  no  fear  of  that,  little  sister,"  he  said 
reassuringly.  "I  am  going  now,  simply  be- 
cause I  have  other  things  to  do.  I  shall  even 
be  back  for  the  dinner  that  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
is  about  to  cook.  It  is  no  new  thing  to  me  that 
your  father  does  not  like  me.  That  other  time, 
I  was  foolish  enough  to  let  him  drive  me  out. 
But  now,  I  have  tested  the  sweetness  of  your 
friendship  and  unless  you  yourself  insist  upon 
it,  he  shall  not  make  me  go."  He  raised  her 
hands  affectionately  and  touched  them  to  his 
lips.  Then,  with  a  bow  of  grave  politeness,  he 
released  her  and  went  whistling  out  along  the 
path. 

He  had  several  commissions  on  his  list  which 
took  him  to  different  points  about  the  camp, 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION        101 

and  as  the  last  of  these  he  came  to  the  barrack- 
sheds  and  set  himself  to  see  how  Simeon  Gvos- 
def  fared. 

The  little  priest  had  been  a  long  time  coming 
out  of  his  unconscious  state,  though  he  had 
received  no  hurt  more  serious  than  bruises  from 
his  headlong  fall.  They  had  carried  him  to  his 
appointed  place  in  the  warehouse  and  made  him 
as  comfortable  as  possible  upon  his  bed.  All 
the  night  he  lay  there  as  quiet  as  if  he  had  been 
dead  and  paid  no  heed  to  those  who  spoke  to 
him.  What  thoughts,  if  any,  either  of  sorrow 
or  vengeance,  came  to  him  there  was  no  way  to 
know.  In  the  morning  he  opened  his  eyes  and 
asked  for  water,  which  with  food  was  brought 
to  him  and  laid  convenient  to  his  hand. 

He  was  conscious  after  this,  but  made  no 
effort  to  sit  up  or  rise.  Either  he  had  suffered 
some  sort  of  stroke  or  had  been  stunned  tem- 
porarily by  the  horror  of  what  he  had  just 
gone  through.  It  was  probably  the  latter,  be- 
cause when  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  to  him,  he 
knew  him  at  once  and  made  as  if  he  wished  to 
speak  to  him. 

1 '  What  can  I  do  for  you,  Simeon  Gvosdef  ?" 
asked  the  young  man  kindly,  bending  above  him 


102  THE  CHALLENGE 

to  catch  what  he  would  say.  "What  is  it  that 
you  want?"  The  sick  man  made  an  ineffectual 
effort  to  shake  off  the  deadly  physical  weak- 
ness that  held  him  bound  and  looked  up  at  Ivan 
Egorovitch  with  wide-opened  eyes.  He  real- 
ized the  uselessness  of  the  struggle  in  his  pres- 
ent state  and  for  the  moment  bent  his  energy 
toward  gaining  strength. 

"Brandy,"  he  whispered,  "give  me  brandy, 
quick!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  raised  himself  and 
looked  helplessly  around.  There  was  no  liquor 
closer  at  hand  than  the  nearest  house,  but  he 
made  up  his  mind  on  the  thought  and  was  swift 
to  act. 

"You  shall  have  it  in  a  moment,"  he  prom- 
ised and  was  immediately  on  the  way.  When 
he  returned,  the  priest's  eyes  were  shut  and  he 
did  not  move,  but  Ivan  Egorovitch  raised  his 
head  and  poured  some  of  the  liquor  between 
his  lips.  The  priest  swallowed  it  unconsciously 
and  after  a  moment  the  color  began  to  come 
back  into  his  cheeks.  He  opened  his  eyes  and 
made  a  feeble  attempt  to  raise  himself  upright. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  him  with  satisfaction, 
and  his  lips  parted  in  a  smile. 

"That  is  better,  is  it  not?"  he  said  cheer- 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION        103 

fully.  * ;  You  will  be  all  right  now  when  you  get 
something  to  eat."  Simeon  Gvosdef  did  not 
answer  him,  but  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  him  with 
the  same  devouring  look. 

"What  is  it  now?"  asked  the  young  man 
curiously.  The  priest's  mouth  opened  and  he 
breathed  rather  than  spoke  his  words. 

"Moissei — what  did  they  do  with  him?"  he 
demanded. 

' l  They  buried  him.  It  was  done  immediately 
after  the  service  was  through."  The  priest 
closed  his  eyes  and  lay  passively  considering, 
and  after  a  moment  the  tears  began  to  run  from 
under  his  shut  lids.  Then,  with  the  accession 
of  strength  that  came  with  the  little  rest,  he 
opened  his  eyes  suddenly  and  flashed  their  sol- 
emn gaze  again  on  the  young  man. 

"The  lieutenant — "  he  said  slowly,  "what 
have  they  done  with  him?"  Ivan  Egorovitch 
did  not  clearly  understand. 

"Why,  nothing,"  he  said.  "What  did  you 
expect  them  to  do?"  The  priest  did  not  an- 
swer, but  remained  as  he  was,  without  even  try- 
ing to  wipe  away  his  tears. 

"I  would  like  to  see  him,"  he  said  finally. 
' '  Do  you  think  he  would  come  ? ' ' 


104  THE  CHALLENGE 

"If  you  wish  it,"  returned  the  young  man 
obligingly,  "I  will  go  and  see." 

"Do!"  said  the  other  eagerly,  and  settled 
down  on  his  bed. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  went  directly  to  the  house 
of  the  lieutenant,  but  found  that  he  was  not 
at  home.  He  guessed  that  Mikhail  Etolin  was 
out  on  one  of  his  irregular  tours  of  inspection 
among  the  men  and,  following  after  him,  dis- 
covered him  with  his  coat  off,  working  with  the 
group  that  was  felling  trees  for  the  construc- 
tion of  houses  for  the  new  settlers  at  the  post. 
In  few  words  he  stated  to  the  lieutenant  the 
wish  of  the  priest  that  he  should  come. 

"What  does  he  want  with  me?"  asked  Mik- 
hail Sergeievitch  suspiciously. 

"He  did  not  say,"  returned  the  young  man, 
"but  it  was  the  only  thing  he  did  ask  for  and 
I  thought  perhaps  that  you  would  want  to  go. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  the  lieutenant,  "I  shall  have 
to  have  it  out  with  him  sooner  or  later  and  I 
suppose  it  might  as  well  be  now.  Come  along, ' ' 
he  added,  smoothing  down  his  blouse. 

Simeon  Gvosdef  was  brighter  when  they 
reached  him  and  seemed  to  have  more  strength. 
He  had  drunk  the  rest  of  the  brandy  and  had 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION        105 

eaten  some  of  the  food  that  had  been  placed  for 
him  beside  his  bed.  He  did  not  try  to  lift  him- 
self from  where  he  lay,  but  acknowledged  the 
coming  of  the  lieutenant,  when  he  stood  beside 
him,  with  a  lifting  of  the  head  which,  if  he  had 
been  standing  erect,  would  have  been  a  bow  of 
courtesy  and  respect. 

"You  sent  for  me,"  said  the  lieutenant 
stiffly.  "What  is  it  that  you  want?"  For  the 
moment  the  priest  did  not  answer,  but  remained 
looking  mournfully  at  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  and 
murmuring  inaudibly  to  himself. 

"Why  did  you  do  it?"  he  asked  tremulously, 
when  he  got  his  lips  into  control.  "Why  did 
you  not  tell  me  the  truth?"  Mikhail  Etolin's 
phlegmatic  heaviness  stood  him  in  good  stead 
and,  under  the  question,  his  big  face  remained 
as  stolid  as  a  mask. 

"You  are  not  strong  enough  to  worry  about 
this  now,"  he  answered.  "Wait  till  you  are 
well  and  I  will  tell  you  everything  I  know. ' ' 

"Did  you  kill  him?"  persisted  the  priest 
searchingly.  Mikhail  Etolin's  face  stirred  with 
the  first  sign  of  feeling  it  had  shown. 

"No!  Before  God,  I  did  not!"  he  cried  with 
earnestness.  The  only  part  of  Simeon  Gvosdef 


106  THE  CHALLENGE 

that  seemed  alive  was  his  eyes,  but  they  fastened 
on  Mikhail  Etolin's  face  as  if  they  would  search 
him  to  the  bottom  of  his  soul.  For  an  unbear- 
able moment  the  priest  kept  them  thus  steadily 
fixed,  and  then  let  the  lids  shut  slowly  over  them 
again  as  if  the  search  had  ended  for  the  time. 

"I  do  not  believe  you,7'  he  said  simply. 
"You  did  not  tell  me  the  truth  before."  He 
lay  back  silently  and  turned  away  his  head,  and 
the  fat  man  began  to  breathe  more  quickly  as 
his  excitement  rose. 

"Why  did  you  send  for  me,  then,"  he 
wheezed,  "if  you  can  not  believe  me,  now  that 
I  am  come?"  The  priest's  eyes  opened  again 
with  startling  suddenness  and  fixed  themselves 
as  before  on  Mikhail  Etolin's  face. 

"Why  did  I  send  for  you,  Mikhail  Etolinf " 
he  repeated  in  his  low,  even  voice.  "Because 
I  wanted  to  tell  you  what  I  am  here  to  do.  God 
is  going  to  punish  you,  Mikhail  Etolin,  and  you 
are  going  to  die." 

He  paused  a  moment  to  regain  his  breath  and 
in  the  respite  the  lieutenant  crossed  himself 
vigorously  twice.  He  was  not  a  superstitious 
man,  but  the  strangeness  of  the  affair  and  the 
sinister  threat  of  evil  to  himself  stirred  him 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION        107 

mechanically  to  be  on  his  guard.  The  priest's 
eyes  opened  almost  at  once  and  he  began  again 
in  his  slow,  colorless  speech. 

"I  do  not  know  where  I  was  all  this  last 
dreadful  night, "  he  said  solemnly,  "whether 
with  God  or  here.  But  wherever  it  was,  I  saw 
Him  there  and  I  know  that  what  I  tell  you  now 
is  true.  You  are  going  to  die,  Mikhail  Etolin, 
and  if  you  want  the  proof,  it  is  that  I  was  not  al- 
lowed to  die  last  night,  but  was  sent  back  here 
to  see  that  the  happening  surely  comes  to  pass. 
I  know  now  how  it  is  to  come  and  when,  but 
I  will  not  tell  you  yet.  The  shadow  of  it  I 
know  is  over  you  from  this  time.  You  will  not 
need  to  watch  for  it.  It  will  be  only  days  be- 
fore it  will  begin  to  come  to  you  so  that  you 
yourself  will  see."  The  strain  of  the  long 
speech  exhausted  him  and  he  lay  back  breath- 
lessly upon  the  bed.  He  was  still  so  long  that 
Mikhail  Etolin  thought  he  was  done. 

' '  Well,  is  that  all  ? "  he  said  finally.  His  tone 
was  defiant,  but  his  voice  was  husky  and  con- 
strained. Simeon  Gvosdef  collected  himself 
for  a  final  effort  and  spoke  with  a  conviction 
that  could  not  be  misunderstood. 

"No,"  he  said  determinedly,  "that  is  not 


108  THE  CHALLENGE 

all.  I  have  yet  to  tell  you  what  it  is  that  has 
been  given  me  to  do.  God  has  made  me  His 
instrument  in  this  matter,  Mikhail  Etolin,  and 
I  am  to  pray  for  it  every  day  until  it  comes. 
Among  the  things  I  brought  here  for  the  church 
there  is  a  service  bell.  To-night  at  six  I  shall 
ring  it  so  that  you  will  hear  and  to-morrow 
morning  it  will  ring  again.  And  so  at  noon 
and  then  to-morrow  night.  Every  day  until 
the  end  it  will  be  rung  three  times  so  long  as 
I  have  strength,  and  every  time  it  rings  I  shall 
pray  to  God — and  you  will  know  that  I  am 
praying  to  God — that  He  will  keep  His  promise, 
that  your  punishment  shall  come ! ' ' 

He  had  worked  himself  into  such  a  fever  of 
excitement  that  there  was  almost  inspiration  in 
his  haggard  look,  and  as  he  finished  the  last 
words  he  lifted  himself  from  the  pillow  and 
pointed  at  Mikhail  Etolin  with  a  sternly  accus- 
ing hand.  He  remained  thus  for  a  moment, 
propping  himself  by  his  arm.  Then  he  fell  back 
again,  a  pathetic,  shrunken  heap  upon  the  bed. 

"I  am  done,"  he  said,  and  turned  himself 
resolutely  to  the  wall.  Mikhail  Etolin  stood 
looking  at  him  for  a  time  in  silence  and  then 
moved  away  to  where  Ivan  Egorovitch  stood. 


I  shall  pray  to  God  Uiat  your  punishment  shall  come  !  " 

Page  1 08 


SIMEON  FINDS  A  MISSION        109 

He  was  startled  and  somewhat  shaken  by  the 
prophecy  made  against  him,  although  he  was 
too  practical  a  man  to  hold  it  seriously  in  be- 
lief.  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  much  more  im- 
pressed and  showed  his  perturbation  in  his 
face. 

"The  man  is  not  himself, "  said  the  lieuten- 
ant in  a  low  tone.  "He  will  look  at  the  mat- 
ter differently  when  once  we  get  him  well." 

He  beckoned  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  his  head, 
moving  with  him  to  the  door,  and  once  outside, 
the  two  men  went  along  together  on  the  way. 
The  lieutenant  was  in  no  mood  for  talking, 
and  Ivan  Egorovitch  did  not  dare  to  break  in 
on  his  thought.  At  the  parting  of  the  paths, 
however,  Mikhail  Etolin  stopped  and  spoke  of 
his  own  accord. 

"You  had  better,  perhaps,  say  nothing  of 
this  matter, "  he  said  slowly.  "The  man  is  a 
fool  or  insane,  but  some  people  might  be  su- 
perstitious about  it  and  I  would  rather  it  would 
not  be  talked  over  among  the  men." 


CHAPTEE  VI 

THE  KINGING  OF  THE  BELL 

Mikhail  Etolin  was  not  a  man  of  wide  imagi- 
nation, and  Simeon  Gvosdef's  prophecy  failed 
to  impress  itself  on  him  as  it  might  have 
done  on  one  of  a  more  sensitive  mind.  But 
the  sincerity  of  the  priest,  the  unusual  solem- 
nity that  attached  to  the  delivery  of  the  warn- 
ing because  of  his  weakened  condition  of  body 
as  he  spoke,  and,  perhaps,  more  than  all,  the 
superstitious  fear  of  the  power  of  evil  that 
is  an  undercurrent  universal  in  the  Eussian 
soul,  conspired  to  impress  the  message  on  him 
so  that  it  remained  a  distinct  recollection, 

As  he  went  about  his  work  he  had  the  uneasy 
consciousness  of  knowing  that  the  thing  was 
there,  though  the  impression  was  not  strong 
enough  to  render  him  especially  disturbed.  As 
far  as  he  was  able,  he  dismissed  the  matter 
from  his  conscious  thought  and  when  it  came 
to  him  unconsciously,  he  found  no  serious  diffi- 

110 


THE  SINGING  OF  THE  BELL      111 

culty  in  putting  forth  the  effort  of  will  that 
was  needed  to  set  it  aside.  Yet  in  spite 
of  all  endeavor  he  could  not  blot  it  entirely 
from  his  mind,  and  as  the  time  moved  on  toward 
six  o  'clock,  he  found  himself  wondering  vaguely 
whether  the  priest  would  really  carry  out  his 
threat. 

"He  is  too  sick,"  he  said  to  himself,  "and 
besides,  if  he  comes  to  his  senses  and  is  not,  he 
will  be  of  a  different  mind." 

He  loosened  his  garments  and  sat  down  as 
usual  before  the  door  of  his  house  for  his  even- 
ing cup  of  tea.  The  fog  still  filled  the  nearer 
spaces  so  that  he  could  not  see  the  warehouse 
or  the  dwellings  beyond.  But  with  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  work  about  the  post,  there  had 
fallen  a  silence  so  complete  that  he  could  hear 
the  roar  of  the  ice  as  it  broke  from  the  edge 
of  the  glacier  and  fell  into  the  water  at  the 
farther  limit  of  the  bay. 

It  was  too  still  for  comfort  in  his  present 
mood,  though,  without  loneliness,  he  had  been 
conscious  of  the  silence  many  times  before ;  and 
it  was  a  welcome  interruption  therefore  when 
his  servant  came  outside  to  him  and  called  him 
to  his  evening  meal. 


112  THE  CHALLENGE 

He  rose  with  his  usual  deliberation  and 
turned  out  the  remaining  liquid  from  his  cup. 
He  shook  the  dish  sharply  to  expel  the  final 
drops,  and  then  in  the  motion,  remained  fixed 
— with  head  pushed  forward  and  arm  out- 
stretched— for  suddenly,  without  warning,  there 
came  to  him  the  sound  of  Simeon  Gvosdef  's  bell. 

It  was  evidently  not  a  large  bell,  for  the 
volume  of  its  sound  was  neither  deep  nor  great. 
But  in  the  evening  stillness  its  finer  tone  lost 
none  of  its  distinctness  through  being  small,  and 
it  seemed  to  Mikhail  Etolin  as  if  it  might  be 
heard  for  miles.  He  knew,  too,  that  he  could 
not  be  mistaken  in  the  matter,  in  that  up  to  this 
time  there  had  been  no  other  bell  about  the 
post. 

For  a  moment  he  stood  there  motionless,  with 
a  queer  sensation  of  tightness  about  the  heart. 
The  bell  was  being  tolled  rather  than  rung,  and 
there  was  something  so  oppressive  in  its  long 
plaintive  note  that  Mikhail  Etolin,  hearing  it, 
felt  his  spirits  sink  within  him  whether  he 
would  or  not. 

Then  he  came  to  himself  with  a  start  and 
looked  hastily  from  side  to  side  to  see  if  he 
had  been  observed.  He  found  no  watcher  spy- 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      113 

ing  on  his  fear  and,  with  a  shake  of  his  great 
body,  as  if  to  rid  himself  of  an  uncanny  pos- 
session, he  turned  his  back  on  the  irritating 
sound  and  went  stolidly  into  the  house. 

He  sat  down  at  the  table  and  poured  himself 
a  glass  of  brandy,  more  generous  than  usual, 
to  warm  his  blood  and  give  himself  an  appetite 
for  the  meal.  There  had  come,  on  the  bidarka, 
certain  luxuries,  besides  the  usual  and  necessary 
stores,  and  his  cook,  taking  advantage  of  the 
opportunity,  had  made  for  him  some  of  the 
three-cornered  dumplings  filled  with  cheese,  of 
which  he  was  inordinately  fond;  and  on  the 
table  beside  them,  he  found  a  dish  of  salted 
cucumbers,  the  first  he  had  seen  for  months. 
His  eyes  glistened  as  they  rested  on  the  food 
and  he  grinned  as  he  transferred  the  first  in- 
stalment to  his  plate. 

"I  may  be  going  to  die/'  he  said  to  himself, 
"but,  it  will  not  be  from  lack  of  decent  food." 

He  quite  enjoyed  himself  in  the  heat  of  the 
attack  and  for  some  time  forgot  practically 
the  canker  that  was  preying  on  his  mind.  When 
it  did  come  back,  it  took  the  form  of  curiosity 
as  to  what  had  happened  at  the  warehouse  when 
the  priest  began  to  ring. 


114  THE  CHALLENGE 

It  was  a  foregone  conclusion  that  the  sound 
would  draw  spectators  to  the  scene,  and  he 
found  himself  wondering  if  the  priest  had  gone 
further  than  to  ring  the  bell. 

If,  as  in  his  prophecy  he  had  advised  him 
he  would  do,  Simeon  Gvosdef  simply  followed 
up  his  ringing  with  a  prayer,  those  who  had 
come  to  gaze  would  go  away  but  little  wiser  for 
their  pains.  But  if  the  spirit  moved  him  to 
repeat  in  public  the  warning  he  had  before  pri- 
vately bestowed,  the  men  were  so  ignorant  and 
superstitious  that  the  effect  would  not  be  toward 
good  either  for  him  or  them. 

The  more  he  thought  of  it  the  more  he  was 
convinced  that  it  was  a  thing  to  receive  at- 
tention, that  the  priest  should  not  relate  his 
story  to  the  men,  if  only  that  his  authority  over 
them  should  not  be  impaired.  He  got  up  from 
the  table  and  went  to  listen  at  the  door.  The 
sound  of  the  bell  had  ceased  some  time  before 
and  there  was  nothing  unusual  to  reward  the 
attention  he  gave. 

"It  is  probably  all  done,"  he  said  to  himself 
moodily, ' '  and  I  could  not  change  it  by  going  out 
there  now."  He  came  back  to  the  table  and 
stood  drumming  on  it  with  his  fingers'  ends 


THE  EsTHE  BELL     115 


and  looked  irresolutely  at  the  place  where  he 
had  sat. 

'  i  I  had  practically  finished  anyhow,  '  '  he  mur- 
mured absently.  "I  hope  he  has  not  spread  it 
to  the  camp." 

But  Simeon  Gvosdef  was  not  the  man  to  hurt 
by  silence  a  cause  so  near  his  heart.  When 
Mikhail  Etolin  came  close  enough  to  the  ware- 
house so  the  mist  no  longer  hid  its  front,  he  saw 
that  a  group  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  men  was 
already  gathered  there  before  the  door. 

Between  them  and  the  building  was  the  priest. 
He  was  kneeling  with  his  face  upturned  as  if 
in  prayer,  but  though  his  lips  moved  constantly, 
Mikhail  Etolin  could  hear  no  sound  and  it  was 
evident  to  him  that  the  people  were  waiting  to 
see  what  he  would  do  next,  rather  than  listening 
to  what  he  said. 

The  men  in  the  group  recognized  the  lieuten- 
ant almost  as  soon  as  he  saw  them,  and  there 
was  an  immediate  stir  among  them  of  a  sort  that 
showed  something  unusual  had  occurred.  Mik- 
hail Etolin  's  red  face  grew  redder  as  he  realized 
that  he  had  come  too  late.  Under  his  gaze,  the 
onlookers  began  to  stand  farther  apart  from  one 
another  and  one  by  one  to  slip  quietly  away. 


116  THE  CHALLENGE 

The  lieutenant  watched  them  with  an  irri- 
tation he  did  not  attempt  to  quell.  His  first 
thought  was  to  order  the  priest  under  arrest 
and  so  make  an  end  to  the  affair  at  once,  but 
cooler  judgment  held  him  back  lest  he  should 
appear  to  make  too  much  of  an  action  that 
he  was  not  yet  sure  was  criminal  in  intent.  The 
only  course  that  on  the  moment  seemed  a  fit 
one  was  to  question  those  who  had  been  present 
and  from  their  statements  determine  on  a  plan. 

By  the  time  he  had  decided  what  to  do,  there 
were  only  two  or  three  of  the  bystanders  who 
still  stood  their  ground.  Of  these  he  singled 
out  Stepan  Dmitrievitch,  who  was  the  nearest 
by,  and  beckoning  him,  went  with  him  a  little 
space  apart. 

"What  is  the  trouble?"  he  demanded  fret- 
fully. ' '  Why  are  these  people  gathered  here  ! ' ' 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  was  palpably  disturbed 
and  showed  his  perturbation  in  his  face. 

"It  was  because  of  the  bell,  your  Well-born," 
he  said,  casting  down  his  eyes.  "They  came 
to  see  why  it  was  rung."  The  lieutenant  him- 
self felt  a  sudden  embarrassment,  as  if  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  must  be  aware  he  had  been  already 
warned. 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      117 

"Why  was  it  rung?"  he  asked  with  difficulty. 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  shifted  awkwardly  on  his 
feet  and  manifestly  chose  his  words. 

"It  was  because  Simeon  Gvosdef  had  some- 
thing he  felt  he  should  announce.  He  has  had 
a  vision. ' ' 

"A  vision  1" 

' '  Yes,  a  warning  which,  while  he  was  lying  on 
his  bed  there,  was  sent  to  him  from  God. ' ' 

Mikhail  Etolin's  self-consciousness  made  it  a 
struggle  with  him  to  appear  properly  uncon- 
cerned. He  kept  his  eyes  suspiciously  on  his 
companion,  but  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  was  him- 
self so  disturbed  that  he  should  be  the  bearer  of 
bad  news,  that  he  kept  his  own  glance  on  the 
ground  and  made  no  observation  of  Mikhail- 
Sergeievitch  's  face.  The  lieutenant  waited  till 
he  could  hold  his  voice  so  it  would  not  shake. 

"For  whom  was  this  warning  given?"  he  said 
slowly.  "For  himself V 

"No,  your  Well-born,"  said  the  young  man 
faintly,  "  it  was  for  you. " 

"Forme!" 

"Yes,  for  you.  He  said  that  God  told  him 
you  were  going  to  die. ' ' 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  had  known  before- 


118  THE  CHALLENGE 

hand  what  the  priest's  prophecy  must  have 
been,  Mikhail  Etolin  felt  a  shiver  run  over  him 
and  experienced  again  the  same  uneasy  tight- 
ness at  the  heart.  His  face,  however,  did  not 
change,  and  he  turned  to  the  other  with  a  shrug 
of  disbelief. 

1 1  Bah ! "  he  said  impatiently.  ' '  One  does  not 
believe  in  foolishness  like  that!" 

The  young  man's  face  grew  more  grave.  He 
lost  the  fear  of  what  he  had  to  tell,  now  that  the 
thing  was  told,  and  was  only  solicitous  for  the 
other's  good. 

"How  can  one  be  sure,  Mikhail  Sergeie- 
vitch?"  he  said  seriously.  "It  is  certainly  a 
truth  to  Simeon  Gvosdef ,  and  having  been  told, 
it  would  be  foolish  not  to  be  prepared."  His 
simple  faith  jarred  on  the  lieutenant,  the  more 
that  he  did  not  like  to  admit  even  to  himself 
that  his  own  fear  had  been  touched. 

"Look  at  me!"  he  cried  angrily.  "Do  I 
seem  like  one  about  to  die?"  The  young  man 
raised  his  eyes  and  looked  him  over  with  a  smile. 

"You  are  a  strong  man,  your  Well-born,"  he 
said  simply,  "and  there  are  many  others  of  us 
here  that  would  seem  more  sure  to  be  the  first 
to  go.  But  if  God  has  willed  it,  it  will  come, 


THE  SINGING  OF  THE  BELL      119 

and  what  will  you  do  if,  after  a  little,  you  should 
find  the  change  coming  to  you  as  he  has  said?" 
The  lieutenant's  glance  rose  to  him  sharply 
and  his  voice  was  abrupt  in  his  demand. 

' '  What  change  V '  he  insisted  sternly.  < '  What 
was  it  that  he  said?"  His  sudden  warmth 
seemed  to  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  no  more  than 
the  awakening  of  interest  proper  in  the  case  and 
he  noted  it  without  surprise. 

"It  was  very  little,"  he  said,  "beyond  the 
fact  that  the  thing  would  positively  come.  Of 
that  he  was  sure  and  also  that  it  would  not  be 
long  delayed. ' ' 

A  pregnant  question  framed  itself  on  Mikhail 
Sergeievitch's  lips,  but  he  hesitated  long  before 
he  put  it  into  words.  Finally,  however,  his  in- 
terest got  the  better  of  his  desire  to  appear  un- 
moved and  he  let  it  out,  speaking  slowly  and  im- 
personally and  with  as  strong  an  expression  of 
impassivity  as  he  was  able  to  command. 

"Was  there  then  no  revelation  as  to  how  the 
thing  would  come?"  he  asked. 

"Only  this  much,  that  if  we  would  know  it 
in  its  coming  we  should  watch  you  as  you 
breathed."  Mikhail  Etolin  received  the  infor- 
mation with  a  puzzled  stare.  His  mind  went 


120  THE  CHALLENGE 

floundering  among  the  probabilities  like  a 
hooked  fish,  turning  blindly  this  way  and  that, 
and  striving  with  sullen  irritation  to  shake  off 
this  new  bond  that  threatened  to  hold  him  in. 

"But  I  breathe  all  the  time!"  he  said  resent- 
fully. 

"Of  course,"  returned  the  young  man,  "but 
within  a  fortnight  he  said  we  should  see  a 
change."  The  lieutenant  considered  the  prop- 
osition thoughtfully. 

"Well,"  he  said  with  a  tinge  of  quiet  con- 
tempt, "when  the  change  comes  I  shall  believe. 
In  the  meantime  if  you  see  it  and  I  do  not,  I 
shall  depend  on  you  to  let  me  know!"  He 
bowed  stiffly  and  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  under- 
stood that  the  interview  was  at  an  end.  Bow- 
ing respectfully  in  turn,  he  saluted  awkwardly 
and  went  away,  leaving  the  lieutenant  watch- 
ing him  much  as  if  he  had  detected  him  in  the 
commission  of  some  petty  crime. 

When  Mikhail  Etolin  turned  again,  the  place 
was  clear  and  there  was  no  one  there  except  the 
priest.  He  was  still  on  his  knees  in  prayer  and 
the  lieutenant,  hesitating  to  break  in  on  his 
devotions,  waited  impatiently  till  he  should  be 
done.  But  even  then  he  was  thwarted  in  bring- 


THE  EINGING  OF  THE  BELL     121 

ing  Simeon  Gvosdef  to  speech.  The  priest  saw 
him  as  he  rose,  faced  him  fearlessly,  and  be- 
fore the  lieutenant  could  begin  what  he  had  to 
say,  commenced  himself  to  speak. 

"  You  see  it  has  begun,  Mikhail  Sergeievitch, " 
he  said  with  a  sort  of  solemn  joy,  "but  it  is  not 
with  me  you  must  make  your  peace.  It  is  with 
God ! ' '  He  raised  his  hand  significantly  as  he 
spoke  and  before  the  lieutenant  could  stir  his 
slow  tongue  to  reply  he  turned  about  and  went 
swiftly  into  the  house. 

Had  he  shown  in  his  manner  the  smallest 
touch  of  maliciousness  or  spite,  Mikhail  Etolin 
would  have  known,  without  consideration,  what 
measures  he  should  take.  But  the  priest's  face 
reflected  nothing  but  conviction  and  inspired  be- 
lief,  and  the  lieutenant  stood  in  perplexed  si- 
lence, finding  no  illuminating  thought  to  guide 
him  as  he  watched  him  disappear  from  sight. 

The  next  morning  at  sunrise  the  priest  rang 
the  bell  again,  but  this  time  Mikhail  Etolin  made 
no  sign.  When  it  rang  at  noon,  he  sent  for 
Ivan  Egorovitch. 

"I  want  you  to  get  the  bell  from  Simeon 
Gvosdef, "  he  said  to  him.  "Do  it  quietly  and 
without  his  knowledge  if  you  can.  It  makes  me 


122  THE  CHALLENGE 

nervous  when  I  hear  it  ring."  It  was  a  relief 
to  him  thus  to  decide  on  something  definite,  even 
though  the  accomplishment  ran  to  an  instru- 
ment rather  than  a  cause.  He  worked  with  bet- 
ter spirit  during  the  afternoon  and  was  pom- 
pously jocular  with  the  men.  It  was  almost  six 
when  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  to  him  again  and 
he  saw  that  the  young  man  had  empty  hands. 

' '  Well,  where  is  it  ?  "  he  demanded  testily.  '  <  I 
thought  I  told  you  to  bring  it  here  to  me!" 
Ivan  Egorovitch  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
threw  up  his  palms. 

"He  was  too  sharp  for  us,  your  Well-born," 
he  said  apologetically.  "I  spent  no  little  time 
in  searching  his  effects  and  only  now  I  found 
that  he  has  tied  the  clapper  and  is  carrying  it 
with  him  hung  around  his  neck."  The  lieu- 
tenant gave  an  exclamation  of  impatience  and 
drew  down  his  brows. 

"Damn  him!"  he  said,  "I  never  thought  of 
that!"  Then  some  humor  of  the  situation 
struck  him  and  he  grinned  ruefully. 

"He  knows  I  can  not  use  force,"  he  com- 
plained, "so  I  suppose  he  has  us  for  the  time. 
But  keep  an  open  eye  out  for  him,  and  lose  no 
chance  if  he  once  sets  it  down. ' ' 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      123 

Simeon  Gvosdef  was  cautious  and  gave  no 
opportunity  for  theft.  The  bell  remained  with 
him  always  and  rang  three  times  a  day.  Mik- 
hail Etolin  made  no  further  sign  of  his  displeas- 
ure beyond  an  order,  cutting  the  priest  out  from 
the  company  mess. 

"There  is  no  church  for  service, "  he  said, 
"ancl  the  company  only  pays  for  what  it  gets. 
Let  the  priest  work  at  something  like  the  oth- 
ers, and  then  I  will  see  that  he  is  fed." 

Such  work  with  Simeon  Gvosdef,  however, 
was  hopelessly  beyond  his  strength.  He  had 
risen  promptly  from  his  bed  of  sickness  and  the 
strain  he  had  gone  through  seemed  to  have  left 
him  with  no  special  bodily  ill.  But  from  the 
time  of  his  awakening,  his  mind  remained  con- 
fused and  dull  and  he  spent  his  time  wandering 
aimlessly  from  place  to  place,  unable  apparently 
to  concentrate  his  energies  on  anything  in  the 
way  of  practical  accomplishment. 

The  only  thing  in  which  he  showed  full  inter- 
est and  a  normal  mind,  was  the  carrying-out  of 
the  scheme  of  vengeance  he  had  determined 
on  for  the  killing  of  his  son.  No  weakness 
of  memory  was  great  enough  to  make  him  for- 
getful of  the  times  to  ring  his  bell.  He  wan- 


124  THE  CHALLENGE 

dered  widely,  and  sometimes  its  notes  came 
down  from  the  silence  of  the  woods  above  or 
from  a  boat,  or  more  often  from  the  wooded 
island  in  the  bay.  His  boy  had  been  buried  in 
this  latter  place  beside  the  unfortunate  sailors 
of  La  Perouse's  ship,  and  near  his  grave  he 
spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time. 

But  he  was  as  punctual  with  his  ringing  as  a 
clock,  and  it  became  a  habit  with  him  to  follow 
Mikhail  Etolin  as  he  went  his  rounds  and  stand 
and  watch  him  for  the  evidences  of  change 
which  should  show  that  the  lieutenant's  pun- 
ishment had  begun.  It  was  a  slim  and  precari- 
ous living  for  him  at  the  start,  but  the  men 
about  him,  though  through  fear  of  the  lieu- 
tenant they  did  not  dare  openly  to  divide  with 
him  their  meals,  saw  to  it  humanely  that  he  did 
not  starve.  But  when  Tatiana  Vassilievna  had 
news  of  it,  she  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  her 
mind. 

"The  lieutenant  is  a  beast!"  she  declared 
indignantly.  "If  I  had  a  soul  like  that,  I  would 
be  afraid  to  show  myself  with  my  body  off  be- 
fore Saint  Peter  at  the  gate!  He'd  never  see 
me!  I  shall  send  for  Mikhail  Etolin  and  tell 
him  what  I  think!"  She  deferred  the  inter- 


THE  EINGING  OF  THE  BELL      125 

view,  however,  for  the  household  about  her 
was  strong  in  its  counsel  for  patience  and 
delay.  It  was  with  a  distinct  reservation, 
though,  that  she  finally  agreed. 

"If  he  does  not  mind  his  ways,  I  will  boil 
his  kettle  for  him  yet,"  she  said  defiantly. 

This  much  at  least  she  accomplished,  that  a 
family  council  was  called  on  the  spot  to  deter- 
mine how  best  they  could  be  of  aid.  There  were 
present  at  it,  both  women,  Peter  Efimovitch  and 
the  two  young  men.  Tatiana  felt  entirely  free 
to  speak  her  mind.  She  went  into  the  nature 
and  personal  characteristics  of  the  lieutenant 
with  searching  and  objurgatory  frankness,  and 
with  half  a  finger  measured  up  the  shallow 
depth  of  his  heart.  She  left  no  detail  to  the 
imagination  in  the  explosive  statement  of  her 
disesteem,  and  met  with  contumely  and  scorn 
all  suggestions  from  the  others  in  palliation 
or  defense. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  was  practically  the  only  one 
to  make  any  stand  against  the  storm.  His 
blood-brother  had  knowledge  from  which  he 
might  have  spoken  if  he  would,  but  he  did  not, 
like  Ivan  Egorovitch,  stand  in  close  personal 
relation  to  the  lieutenant  and,  besides,  his 


126  THE  CHALLENGE 

slower  nature  made  him  inert  in  quick  reply. 
But  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  sufficiently  just  in  his 
judgments  to  feel  that  Mikhail  Etolin  was  not 
wholly  bad,  and,  besides,  had  at  all  times  on  his 
tongue  the  ready  word  to  help  a  friend. 

"You  are  too  harsh,  Tatiana  Vassilievna, ' ' 
he  said  when  he  could  get  a  chance  to  speak. 
"Mikhail  Sergeievitch  ought  not  to  have  made 
this  order,  but  he  is  by  no  means  bad  at  heart. ' ' 
Zakar  Medvedef  's  wife  sniffed  disdainfully  and 
drew  up  her  nose. 

'  '  Now  do  not  talk  like  that, ' '  she  said  reprov- 
ingly. "I  wager  he  is  not  quite  as  spotless  as  a 
new  moon!"  Ivan  Egoroviteh  laughed  and 
Motrya  Petrovna  came  promptly  to  his  aid. 

"Ivan  is  right,  Tatiana,"  she  said  with  a 
soft  glance  at  the  young  man.  ' l  He  knows  Mik- 
hail Sergeievitch  better  than  we  do  and  perhaps 
is  better  fitted  to  tell  us  how  to  go  to  work. 
That  really,  I  suppose,  is  what  we  have  to  think 
about  in  the  end."  Ivan  Egorovitch  smiled 
gratefully  at  her  and  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  found 
his  slower  speech. 

"The  thing  is  a  disgrace!"  he  said  earnestly. 
"It  should  be  protested  against  at  least,  it 
seems  to  me."  Peter  Efimovitch  nodded  vigor- 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      127 

ously  and  made  an  inarticulate  mumble  of  as- 
sent. He  had  taken  a  liking  to  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch  as  strong  as  was  his  dislike  for  his 
younger  and  more  volatile  blood-brother,  and 
in  questions  of  policy  or  debate  was  commonly 
on  his  side. 

"Let  him  know  it!"  he  said  grimly.  "Let 
him  see  that  he  must  rule  with  a  decent  hand. ' ' 

"I  do  not  think,  though,  Peter  Efimovitch," 
said  Ivan  Egorovitch  deprecatingly,  "that  it 
would  be  well  to  antagonize  him  further  by  what 
we  do.  I  believe  we  could  arrange  it  without 
that. ' '  The  old  man  threw  up  his  hands  in  un- 
gracious assent. 

"Oh,  well!"  he  said.  "If  you  have  a 
plan — "  The  young  man  flushed  as  he  always 
did  under  Peter  Efimovitch 's  implied  irony. 

"It  is  not  that,"  he  protested.  "But  there 
must  be  a  way — " 

"What  is  it,  Ivan!"  said  Motrya  encourag- 
ingly. 

i '  This,  if  anything, ' '  he  answered.  ' '  Mikhail 
Etolin  can  in  no  way  object  to  Simeon  Gvos- 
def's  earning  his  living  as  a  priest,  and  I 
thought  perhaps  we  could  furnish  him  the 
way. ' ' 


128  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Of  course  we  can!"  cried  the  young  girl 
enthusiastically.  "  It  is  a  good  idea ! ' ' 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  said  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
cautiously,  "unless  we  start  him  regularly  by 
building  him  a  church.  We  have  so  few  occa- 
sions that  would  count. ' ' 

"Nobody  to  be  married  and  nobody  to  be 
born, ' '  chimed  in  Peter  Efimovitch  like  an  echo. 
"There  are  not  enough  stole  fees  here  to  sup- 
port a  cat!"  Tatiana  Vassilievna's  face  re- 
laxed into  a  smile. 

"If  Mikhail  Etolin  would  only  die,"  she  said 
with  a  sigh  of  longing, ' '  I  feel  now  as  if  I  would 
contribute  his  burial  costs  myself.  Not  if  he 
does  it  on  a  holiday,  though, ' '  she  added  hastily. 
"My  husband's  brother,  once,  died  during  the 
' bright  week'  and  it  cost  us  two  roubles  extra 
for  the  special  prayers."  Peter  Efimovitch 
turned  again  to  Ivan  Egorovitch. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "what  ceremony  do  you  pro- 
pose to  invent  to  make  your  plan  here  a  suc- 
cess?" 

"There  is  always  some  fee  proper  for  con- 
fession," replied  the  young  man  thoughtfully, 
"and  it  is  more  than  a  year  since  most  of  us 
have  confessed.  But  the  thing  I  had  particu- 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      129 

larly  in  mind  was  to  have  him  bless  the  new 
houses  as  they  are  built.  There  will  be  a  num- 
ber of  them  before  we  are  all  housed  and  by  that 
time  I  think  we  could  get  him  up  a  church. " 

"Of  course !"  exclaimed  Motrya  Petrovna. 
"I  knew  it  would  be  a  good  plan."  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  beamed  affectionately  on  her. 

"Oh,  you  two  are  always  hatching  nest-eggs," 
she  said  in  mock  derision.  ' l  But  what  is  he  to 
do  till  we  are  ready  to  begin!" 

"Why,  the  addition  to  this  house  will  be  ready 
in  two  days,"  cried  the  girl  enthusiastically. 

"And  up  to  that  time,"  added  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch,  "I  will  see  to  it  that  Simeon  Gvosdef  does 
not  starve." 

"Well,  have  it  your  own  way,  then,"  said 
Tatiana  Yassilievna,  "but  I  would  like  to  tell 
Mikhail  Sergeievitch  what  is  on  my  mind ! ' '  she 
added  with  a  sigh.  Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  to 
Motrya  Petrovna  with  the  pleasure  of  his  tri- 
umph shining  in  his  eyes. 

"Thank  you,"  he  said,  "for  being  of  my 
mind,  and  since  you  are  the  one  most  interested 
with  me  in  this  affair,  will  you  go  with  me  now 
and  help  me  to  make  the  arrangement  with  the 
priest?" 


130  THE  CHALLENGE 

' '  Of  course, ' '  she  answered  promptly.  Then, 
with  a  look  at  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  she  added 
hesitatingly,  "That  is,  if  it  will  not  take  too 
long/' 

' '  I  think  we  shall  find  him  at  the  warehouse, ' ' 
said  the  young  man.  "But  in  any  case  I  must 
be  back  to  report  to  Mikhail  Etolin  within  an 
hour." 

Tatiana  Yassilievna  graciously  nodded  an  as- 
sent and  the  girl  detained  him  only  till  she  could 
get  a  hat.  She  was  dressed  in  a  simple  gown 
of  some  soft  gray  material  and  had  a  knot  of 
color  at  her  throat.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
watched  the  couple  enviously  as  he  saw  them 
go,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  assumed  possession  of 
the  girl  with  the  easy  familiarity  that  came 
from  close  acquaintance  with  her  as  a  child. 

"You  are  very  pretty  to-day,"  he  said,  as  he 
looked  her  up  and  down.  "I  am  glad  that  I 
have  got  you  away  from  the  others  and  am  go- 
ing to  have  you  to  myself. ' '  She  blushed  a  lit- 
tle at  the  boldness  of  the  compliment,  but  was 
too  accustomed  to  his  teasing  either  to  be 
ashamed  or  to  take  offense. 

"If  you  would  make  the  weather  brighter," 
she  said  gaily,  "you  could  have  me  much  more 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      131 

than  you  do.  And  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for 
me,  too,  in  that  I  should  be  wanting  you  to  come 
to  take  me  and  so  would  be  trying  to  be  pretty 
all  the  time."  His  eyes  rested  on  her  with  an 
intensity  of  interest  that  was  not  wholly  shad- 
owed back  to  him  from  hers. 

"You  laugh  at  me,"  he  said  as  they  walked 
along.  ' i  Do  you  really  know  how  much  it  is  to 
me  to  have  you  here  1 ' '  She  looked  up  at  him 
with  cheerful  seriousness  in  her  face. 

"I  know  that  it  is  very  much  to  me  to  have 
you  here,"  she  answered,  "and  that  it  would 
be  more  than  lonesome  if  I  found  you  gone. 
Why,  then,  can  you  not  believe  that  I  know  you 
find  the  same  comfort  in  thinking  it  about  me  ? ' ' 

They  had  come  to  the  warehouse  and  saw  that 
Simeon  Gvosdef  was  sitting  at  the  door. 

"I  will  tell  you  in  a  moment,"  he  said  under 
his  breath,  and  they  went  on  in  silence  till  they 
came  to  where  Simeon  Gvosdef  sat. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  made  no  disclosure  of  their 
plan,  but  simply  asked  the  priest  if  he  would 
come  and  bless  the  house  at  the  appointed  time. 
Simeon  Gvosdef  was  suspicious  at  the  first,  his 
memory  connecting  Ivan  Egorovitch  too  closely 
with  the  man  who,  he  believed,  had  killed  his 


132  THE  CHALLENGE 

son.  But  the  girPs  entreaties,  added  to  the  rep- 
resentations of  the  young  man,  made  their  way 
convincingly  to  his  heart  and  in  the  end  he 
agreed  graciously  to  what  they  asked.  When 
they  had  left  him,  the  girl  turned  to  Ivan 
Egorovitch  with  a  sigh. 

"I  suppose  we  must  go  back  now,"  she  said 
resignedly,  but  there  was  a  tinge  of  regret  in 
her  tone. 

"Not  at  all!"  he  answered  positively.  ~  "I 
am  going  to  take  you  first  up  to  the  higher 
ground. ' ' 

"But  we  can  not  see  anything  to-day,"  she 
objected. 

6 '  That  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  have  you 
now  and  I  want  you  with  me  for  the  hour 
that  was  allowed.  I  am  not  going  to  give  you 
up."  As  he  spoke  he  changed  his  course 
abruptly  to  one  side,  and  she  turned  and  fol- 
lowed him  without  a  word.  He  was  the  first 
lover  to  attempt  authority  over  her  and  she 
found  a  pleasurable  thrill  in  thus  letting  her- 
self bend  to  his  will. 

It  was  only  a  few  moments  before  they  passed 
out  of  the  clearing  and  into  the  heavy  woods. 
It  was  not  a  pleasing  place  altogether,  for  the 


THE  KINGING  OF  THE  BELL      133 

underbrush  was  damp  and  clammy  and  from 
the  trees  the  fog  dripped  with  a  constant  patter, 
like  rain.  The  path  was  wide  and  roomy,  but 
Motrya  Petrovna  noticed  that  as  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  walked  beside  her,  his  hand  always 
touched,  hers  as  she  went,  and  that,  when  she 
stood  still,  he  remained  so  close  to  her  that  it 
was  still  against  her  arm. 

"Why  do  you  always  touch  me  like  that, 
Ivan?"  she  asked  curiously.  He  flushed  a  little 
at  the  question,  but  looked  at  her  with  searching 
eyes. 

"Do  I?"  he  said  with  some  self -conscious- 
ness. He  remained  looking  at  her  thoughtfully 
for  some  moments  as  if  probing  the  matter  in 
his  mind. 

"I  suspect  I  do,  little  sister,"  he  said  finally, 
"and  do  you  really  want  me  to  tell  you  why?" 
He  turned  her  to  him,  taking  both  her  hands. 
"Look  in  my  eyes,"  he  said.  "Perhaps  you 
will  find  the  answer  there."  She  met  his  gaze 
frankly  and  without  turning  away  her  own,  but 
the  color  in  her  cheeks  grew  deeper  and  mounted 
slowly  until  it  reached  her  hair. 

"You  mean  that  you — care?"  she  said  softly. 

6 '  Yes, ' '  he  answered, ' '  so  very  much  that  I  am 


134  THE  CHALLENGE 

no  longer  happy  when  I  can  not  come  to  you." 
The  girl  looked  at  him  thoughtfully  and  con- 
sidered in  her  turn. 

"Why,  I  do  not  feel  like  that  toward  you," 
she  said  with  appalling  frankness.  "I  am  fond 
of  you  and  love  your  friendship.  But  it  is  not 
a  need  with  me — a  thing  I  feel  like  that. ' '  He 
gave  a  little  nervous  laugh  of  disappointment. 

"You  will  feel  it  sometime,"  he  said  mood- 
ily, "either  for  me  or  for  some  other  man.  It 
was  too  soon  to  tell  you,  but  you  tempted  me 
with  your  eyes.  I  am  glad,  though,  that  I  have 
told  you,  for  now  you  will  know  what  it  means 
to  me  and  it  will  remind  you  that  sometime  you 
are  going  to  waken  to  the  same  dear  tenderness 
for  me."  He  had  dropped  one  of  her  hands 
and,  as  he  spoke,  stood  stroking  the  other  with 
both  of  his.  She  listened  to  him  passively  and 
without  attempting  to  move. 

"There  is  only  one  thing  that  can  prevent 
it,"  he  went  on  slowly,  "and  that  is  that  you 
already  have  the  feeling  for  some  other  man." 
She  lifted  her  eyes  till  they  looked  honestly  into 
his. 

"I  have  never  had  it  toward  any  one,  Ivan," 
she  declared  earnestly. 


THE  RINGING  OF  THE  BELL      135 

"Not  even  toward  Stepan  Dmitrievitch ? "  he 
said  with  a  twinge  of  recollection. 

' '  Oh — him ! ' '  she  answered,  forgetting,  in  her 
desire  to  satisfy  this  importunate  questioner, 
that  he  had  no  right  to  ask.  "I  like  him,  of 
course,  and  he  is  good  to  me,  but  that  is  all. ' ' 

"And  has  he,  too,  told  you  that  he  cared?" 
She  was  slow  this  time  in  answer,  but  it  was 
plain  there  was  nothing  she  wished  to  conceal. 

"Yes,"  she  said  bravely.  "He  wanted  to, 
but  I  would  not  let  him — much."  A  wave  of 
jealousy  ran  over  the  young  man  and  he  fairly 
lost  his  head. 

"And  did  you  let  him  hold  your  hands?"  he 
asked  searchingly.  The  girl  responded  by 
drawing  her  hands  swiftly  from  his  grasp. 

"I  shall  not  tell  you,"  she  said  indignantly. 
"You  have  no  right  to  ask."  She  put  both  her 
hands  behind  her  and  stepped  back  quickly  till 
the  path  was  between  him  and  her. 

"Let  us  not  talk  any  more  about  it,"  she  said 
more  kindly.  e '  Come,  it  is  time  we  were  going 
back." 

She  turned  and  started  down  the  path  and 
left  him  to  follow  as  he  would.  It  was  only  a 
moment  before  he  closed  the  space  between 


136  THE  CHALLENGE 

them  and  began  the  effort  to  make  atonement 
for  his  fault.  She  was  firm,  however,  in  her 
decision  not  to  talk  and  only  answered  when  he 
spoke  of  other  things.  But  the- greatest  grief 
for  him,  in  her  behavior,  lay  in  the  fact  that, 
from  the  first  of  the  journey  back,  she  kept  a 
distance  persistently  between  them  so  that  at  no 
time  could  he  touch  her  hand. 


CHAPTER  VII 

IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY 

Elijah's  Day  fulfilled  its  promise  and  brought 
the  expected  change.  The  low-lying  fog  that 
for  a  week  had  stretched  itself  between  the  little 
village  and  the  sky  went  raveling  out  in  long 
gray  scarfs  before  the  rising  southern  wind. 
There  was  a  pleasant  stir  in  everything  and 
even  the  shallowest  waters  of  the  bay  showed 
blue  with  the  reflection  from  above.  In  the 
clean  atmosphere  one  could  see  for  miles,  and 
distant  objects  lost  their  true  perspective  and 
came  out  distinct  and  clear.  And  so  the  look- 
out, early  at  his  post,  made  out  the  boat  that 
was  to  bring  the  remainder  of  the  settlers  down 
from  Yakutat,  some  hour's  before  it  would  other- 
wise have  come  within  his  ken. 

Before  the  fact  was  cried,  Ivan  Egorovitch 
had  gone  with  those  whose  work  it  was  to  begin 
the  selection  of  the  places  for  the  autumn  traps, 
and  so  was  absent  from  the  post.  But  from  the 

137 


138  THE  CHALLENGE 

higher  ground,  he  saw  the  coming  craft  almost 
as  soon  as  did  the  lookout  below,  and  watched 
it  to  its  landing  with  resentful  discontent. 

The  force  of  habit  lingers,  long  after  it  has 
been  consciously  set  aside ;  and  having  for  years 
set  up  for  himself  Varenka  Petrovna  as  a  vital 
need,  Ivan  Egorovitch  could  not  thus  look  down 
on  the  boat  that  was  bringing  her  to  the  post, 
without  some  little  flutter  of  the  pulse.  It  was 
not  longing  and  it  was  not  pain.  His  heart  had 
turned  too  surely  to  the  younger  girl  to  make 
it  these.  But  there  was  still  room  for  wonder 
as  to  whether,  when  he  saw  her,  she  would  be  as 
she  was  before,  and  what  would  be  her  greeting 
and  what  she  would  have  to  say. 

He  was  not  quite  sure  whether  he  was  wholly 
at  ease  about  this  first  meeting  with  his  former 
love.  If — as  Motrya  had  said — Varenka  had 
really  suffered  from  his  ungallant  relinquish- 
ment  of  pursuit,  it  might  be  uncomfortable,  to 
say  the  least,  to  have  her  at  the  post.  And  yet, 
with  the  unconscious  egotism  of  youth,  he 
wished  that  she  might  really  show  some  evi- 
dences of  blight  and  he  felt  a  secret  comfort  in 
figuring  what  these  blemishes  might  be. 

He  could  see  the  small  boats,  like  flies  on 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    139 

the  water,  go  crawling  back  and  forth  between 
the  bidarka  and  the  shore;  and  then  the  indis- 
tinct movement  at  the  landing  which  revealed 
that  the  new-comers  were  being  separated  and 
distributed  to  their  various  places  of  abode. 
But  there  was  nothing  more  that  he  could  make 
out  certainly  and  after  a  time  he  went  moodily 
back  to  his  work. 

The  labor  had  been  planned  to  fill  a  day,  but 
the  circuit  laid  out  had  been  small,  and  many  of 
the  places  proposed  proved,  on  examination, 
so  unsatisfactory  that  he  did  not  dare  to  use 
them  without  first  making  a  report.  And  so, 
not  to  his  dissatisfaction,  by  early  noon,  he 
found  himself  among  the  new-comers  who  had 
taken  his  attention  there  above.  There  was  dis- 
taste rather  than  eagerness  in  the  thought  of 
coming  on  Varenka  Petrovna  except  in  his  own 
time  and  way,  and  so  when  the  clearing  was 
reached,  instead  of  following  out  the  usual  path, 
he  turned  aside  and  skirted  round  by  a  more 
hidden  way,  so  as  to  reach  his  own  dwelling 
from  the  rear. 

He  paused  for  a  moment  before  going  in,  to 
have  a  hasty  look  around  the  camp.  There 
was  nothing  about  the  house  where  he  had  for- 


140  THE  CHALLENGE 

merly  lived  to  show  that  it  harbored  any  other 
than  the  people  he  had  left  in  it  that  morning 
when  he  went  away.  He  listened  for  some  evi- 
dence of  life,  but  there  was  not  even  a  sound  of 
voices,  except  that,  for  a  short  moment,  he  fan- 
cied he  caught  the  baby's  fretful  cry. 

"They  are  at  dinner,"  he  thought,  and  with 
a  sigh  that  was  an  expression  of  his  vague  lone- 
liness and  regret,  he  turned  about  and  went 
quickly  into  the  house. 

Once  inside,  he  stopped  and  looked  around 
him  in  astonishment.  There  was  no  one  there, 
but  the  floor  was  littered  over  with  packages 
and  stores  and  near  the  center,  half  unpacked, 
lay  a  great  pile  of  covers  for  a  bed.  He  looked 
the  stuff  over  with  growing  curiosity. 

"Stepan  and  I  are  to  have  companions,"  he 
said  to  himself.  "I  wonder  who  they  are." 
He  picked  his  way  through  the  confusion  and 
opened  the  door  into  the  other  room ;  and,  as  if 
in  answer  to  his  thought,  he  saw  that  it  had  an 
occupant  and  that  he  had  come  on  her  quite 
unawares. 

At  the  farther  side,  where  the  light  from  the 
open  door  would  shine  on  the  person  using  it,  a 
little  mirror  had  been  hung.  And  before  this 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    141 

stood  a  woman,  with  her  hands  above  her  head, 
engaged  in  putting  the  final  touches  to  the  ar- 
rangement of  her  hair.  Her  back  was  turned 
toward  him,  but  he  did  not  need  to  see  her  face 
to  know  her  for  the  one  who,  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  long  morning,  had  occupied  his 
thought. 

His  first  instinct  was  to  close  the  door  as 
softly  as  he  had  opened  it  and  retire  without 
being  seen.  But  some  change  in  her  demeanor 
apprised  him  that  she  had  heard  him  come  and 
was  conscious  of  his  presence,  though  she  did 
not  immediately  turn  her  head.  Instead,  she 
went  on  calmly  until  she  had  finished  her  labor 
on  the  shining  coil  and  only  when  the  operation 
was  done  did  she  let  down  her  hands  and  turn 
to  look  at  him. 

It  was  evident  then  that,  in  his  intrusion,  she 
had  not  suspected  who  he  was.  Her  lips  parted 
in  a  little  gasp  of  recognition  and  the  color 
flushed  up  redly  in  her  cheeks.  Beyond  this, 
however,  she  held  herself  well  in  hand  and  did 
not  speak  or  stir  to  go  to  him.  The  young  man 
himself  was  equally  confused  and  stood  in  si- 
lence, trying  to  formulate  the  greeting  he  should 
make.  He  found  no  words  ready  on  his  tongue 


142  THE  CHALLENGE 

and  at  last,  without  plan,  made  virtue  of  his 
necessity  and  went  boldly  across  the  room. 

Still  she  did  not  move,  but  stood  looking  at 
him  with  the  same  expression  of  passive  expec- 
tancy and  waited  for  him  to  come.  His  mind 
refused  to  work  with  any  clearness  and,  when  he 
was  close  to  her,  he  was  simply  conscious  that  he 
had  taken  the  hand  she  offered  and  was  mur- 
muring to  her  some  form  of  inarticulate  speech. 

There  did  not  for  the  moment  seem  the  need 
for  greeting  more  distinct,  and  half-uncon- 
sciously  his  mind  employed  itself  with  the  im- 
pression of  her  that  came  to  him  through  his 
eyes.  She  was  different  from  what  he  remem- 
bered her  to  be  as  he  had  seen  her  last,  and  yet 
so  like,  that  he  was  puzzled  to  determine  quite 
wherein  the  difference  lay. 

Her  figure  was  less  girlish,  as  Motrya  had 
said,  and  she  arranged  her  hair  now  in  a  differ- 
ent way.  But  he  decided  that  the  thing  that 
counted  was  the  unremembered  expression  of 
her  eyes.  They  were  larger  somehow  and  more 
grave;  though  he  recognized  that  this  impres- 
sion was  helped  by  the  thinness  of  her  cheeks 
and  the  firmer  lines  that  had  begun  to  show 
about  her  mouth. 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    143 

He  had  associated  with  her,  always,  the  fra- 
gile air  of  delicacy  in  face  and  carriage  which 
is  called  "  flower-like "  in  a  girl,  and  it  was  a 
shock  to  him  to  find  that  this  quality  was  no 
longer  there.  There  was  the  same  delicate 
transparency  of  skin  that  let  the  color  come  and 
go  as  her  emotions  called  it  up,  and  she  had  still 
the  high,  proud  carriage  of  the  head.  But  the 
frank  acceptance  of  her  world,  the  shy  trustful- 
ness— the  innocence,  perhaps — of  her  girlhood 
days  had  gone  from  her  with  the  years  and  in 
its  place  he  found  a  pathetic  gravity  that  made 
her  a  stranger  to  him  in  a  way,  and  gave  him  a 
twinge  at  heart  lest  in  some  manner  he  had  been 
its  cause. 

"  So  it  is  you,  Ivan, ' '  she  said  quietly.  ' '  Mo- 
try  a  told  me  you  were  here  at  the  post,  but  I  did 
not  expect  to  come  on  you  in  this  way."  Her 
very  voice  was  changed  to  him.  It  was  less 
fresh — more  colorless  and  placid  than  he  re- 
membered it  to  be. 

"It  was  I  who  was  wrong,"  he  returned  hur- 
riedly. "I  should  not  have  come  in  from  the 
rear  in  that  unceremonious  way!" 

i '  But  it  was  your  house, '  '  she  went  on  in  the 
same  even  tone,  * '  and  you  could  not  have  known 


144  THE  CHALLENGE 

that  we  were  quartered  here.  The  lieutenant 
gave  us  the  place  so  that  we  might  be  near  to 
Motrya  and  the  rest.  He  has  had  your  baggage 
transferred  to  his  own  house  so  he  could  have 
you  near  him  for  his  work."  Ivan  Egorovilch 
flushed  with  surprise. 

" It  is  a  good  thing  for  us  both,  then,"  he  said 
thoughtfully.  "It  means  an  advance  for  me 
that  I  did  not  expect  and  I  am  glad  it  is  to  be  a 
comfort  for  you. ' ' 

1 ' Thank  you,"  she  returned  with  the  same 
grave  sweetness.  She  did  not  smile  nor  waver 
in  her  expression  under  his  curious  gaze,  but  her 
eyes  dropped  down  so  that  she  no  longer  looked 
him  in  the  face. 

6 1  Tell  me  about  yourself, ' '  she  said  with  a  mo- 
mentary flutter  of  her  eyelids.  i  i  Have  you  been 
with  the  company  all  these  years?" 

"Not  all,"  he  answered,  "but  so  many  that 
the  places  they  send  me  to  seem  most  like  home. 
When  one  has  once  broken  away  from  the  ties 
that  hold  him  fast,  it  does  not  take  so  much  to 
satisfy  him  and  make  him  grateful  for  the  little 
that  he  gets." 

"Yes,"  she  echoed,  "one  must  have  some- 
thing, though  it  is  not  so  much. ' '  He  looked  at 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY   145 

her  keenly,  for  he  could  not  tell  whether  her 
words  were  an  agreement  with  his  philosophy 
or  a  pathetic  expression  of  her  own.  She  re- 
mained passive  under  his  glance,  however,  and 
after  a  moment  went  on  in  her  measured  speech. 

"You  have  changed  very  little,  Ivan,"  she 
said,  "and  yet  it  is  a  long  time!"  There 
seemed  no  need  in  this  for  a  direct  reply  and  he 
answered  her  with  a  question  of  his  own. 

"And  you?"  he  asked  softly,  "have  you 
been  happy  all  these  years?"  The  girl's  eyes 
lifted  till  their  serious  gaze  rested  with  almost 
solemn  intentness  on  his  face. 

"Do  you  ask  me  that  question,  Ivan?"  she 
demanded  earnestly. 

1 1  Yes, ' '  he  declared  bravely.  ( '  For  whatever 
came  of  it,  I  had  no  wish  in  my  heart  ever  to 
make  you  sad." 

"Then  I  will  answer  it,"  she  said,  "for 
there  is  nothing  in  it  of  which  I  am  ashamed. 
You  did  not  tell  me  when  you  went,  you  know, 
and  not  understanding,  I  had  the  anxiety  and 
the  fear, — and  then  I  thought,  too,  that  some- 
time you  would  come  back."  Her  unwavering 
look  was  like  an  accusation  and  before  it  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  eyes  went  down. 


146  THE  CHALLENGE 

"It  was  not  that  I  did  not  remember, "  he  said 
in  a  low  tone,  "and  at  one  time  I  really  began 
the  journey  back!"  It  was  not  Varenka  Pe- 
trovna's  way  to  smile  or  make  distinct  ex- 
pression of  her  emotions,  but  her  whole  face 
lighted  with  a  feeling  she  could  not  conceal. 

"Then  you  did  remember  I"  she  cried  softly. 
1 '  Ah,  why  did  you  not  come  ? ' ' 

" Because, "  he  answered,  "before  I  reached 
you,  the  word  came  to  me  that  you  had  given 
yourself  to  another  man.  Why  did  you  do  it ! " 
he  added  reproachfully.  "Why  could  you  not 
have  been  content  to  wait?" 

"I  was  content,"  she  said  quietly.  "But  it 
was  a  long  time,  Ivan — and  you  sent  no  word. 
He  desired  me  very  much  and  my  father  was 
uneasy  always  and  insisted  on  my  doing  as 
he  wished.  I  think  he  was  afraid  you  would 
come  back,"  she  added  slowly.  There  was  a 
little  thrill  for  Ivan  Egorovitch  in  this  confes- 
sion that  was  a  gratification  to  his  pride. 

"And  are  you  happy  now?"  he  asked  almost 
under  his  breath.  The  woman's  eyes  met  his  as 
bravely  as  before. 

"Yes,"  she  said  with  a  pathetic  little  rise  in 
the  voice.  "  He  is  good  to  me  and  I  am  as  true  a 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    147 

wife  to  him,  Ivan,  as  I  would  have  been  to  you. ' ' 
She  was  silent  for  a  moment,  standing  with  lips 
pressed  together  and  looking  by  him  and  away 
with  misty  eyes.  Then,  as  if  talking  to  herself 
as  well  as  to  him,  she  added :  '  *  Yes,  I  am  con- 
tent— but  the  more  so,  perhaps,  that  I  have  had 
this  talk  with  you  to-day."  Ivan  Egorovitch 
watched  her  with  a  growing  sense  of  shame. 

"I  am  glad  that  you  can  say  it,"  he  said  husk- 
ily. "It  would  break  my  heart  to  think  that 
through  me,  where  I  did  not  mean  it,  your  life 
had  come  to  wreck. ' ' 

"I  have  understood,"  she  answered  tremu- 
lously, ' '  and  all  these  years  I  have  believed. ' ' 

"I  have  not  deserved  it,"  he  said  humbly, 
"and  the  only  excuse  I  have  is  that  it  was  a 
boy's  mistake  in  doing  what  he  thought  was 
right." 

"Yes,  what  was  right,"  she  echoed  vaguely, 
and  stood  with  her  lips  drawn  in  between  her 
teeth.  Then  she  looked  at  him  again  with  the 
smile  that  seemed  a  radiance  from  the  whole 
face  rather  than  the  lips. 

"That  is  all,  I  suppose,"  she  said  quietly, 
"except  that  I  shall  see  you  again  here  at  the 
post." 


148  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Would  it  make  you  happier  if  you  did  not?" 
he  demanded  earnestly.  "For  if  so,  I  will  go 
away." 

"No,"  she  returned  gently.  "I  do  not  think 
I  should  wish  you  to  do  that — and  even  if  I  did, 
I  have  no  right  to  ask  it  of  you. '  ' 

"It  is  not  a  question  of  right,  but  of  what 
would  serve  to  make  you  more  content." 

"You  are  good,"  she  said  gratefully,  "but  I 
believe  it  will  make  me  no  less  happy  to  know 
that  you  are  close  by. ' '  She  moved  away  from 
him  irresolutely  and  then  came  back  to  him  and 
put  out  her  hand. 

"You  had  better  go  now,"  she  said  in  her 
even  voice.  "It  is  time  that  I  went  over  to  the 
other  house."  He  took  her  hand  without  a 
word,  bowed  over  it  respectfully,  and  with  his 
head  in  such  a  whirl  that  he  scarcely  knew 
where  he  stepped,  picked  his  way  through  the 
litter  of  the  other  room  and  went  out  by  the 
same  way  he  had  come. 

Once  clear  of  the  place,  he  took  counsel  with 
himself  what  he  had  better  do.  He  was  dis- 
turbed by  his  meeting  with  Varenka  Petrovna 
and  at  heart  he  found  a  further  disappointment 
that  on  her  account  he  must  leave  his  quarters 


IVAN  HAS  A  STKENUOUS  DAY    149 

near  her  sister  and  take  up  others  where  Motrya 
Petrovna  would  not  be  so  close  at  hand.  He 
decided  to  go  at  once  to  the  lieutenant  and  find 
out  why  he  had  been  quartered  at  his  house. 
He  thought,  too,  of  Stepan  Dmitrievitch,  from 
whom,  if  the  news  were  true,  he  would  for  the 
time  be  obliged  to  part.  But  this  regret  was 
not  so  strong  as  it  would  once  have  been,  for 
since  his  blood-brother  had  found  an  interest  in 
Motrya  Petrovna,  common  with  his  own,  their 
intercourse  had  been  a  shade  less  whole-souled 
than  before. 

Mikhail  Etolin  was  at  home,  though  it  was 
after  the  hour  to  return  to  work;  and  going  in 
on  him  without  announcement,  as  he  was  used 
to  do,  Ivan  Egorovitch  found  him  spread  out 
full  length  on  the  bed.  His  dinner  stood  un- 
touched on  the  table  where  it  had  been  served 
and  he  seemed  like  one  who  had  forgotten  hun- 
ger or  had  no  taste  for  food. 

At  the  noise  of  his  in-coming,  the  lieutenant 
sat  up.  He  moved  with  difficulty  and  when  he 
had  raised  himself  erect,  Ivan  Egorovitch  saw 
that  his  face  was  without  color  and  drawn  as 
near  to  haggardness  as  his  puffy  features  would 
permit.  He  was  so  disheveled  and  unkempt,  so 


150  THE  CHALLENGE 

unhappy  in  his  look,  that  the  young  man  came 
at  once  to  where  he  sat. 

"What  is  it,  your  Well-born?"  he  said  with 
quick  concern.  "Have  you  been  sick?"  The 
lieutenant  stirred  vaguely  and  continued  to 
look  at  him  with  dull  eyes. 

' 1 1  am  not  well ! "  he  said  brokenly.  i  i  It  will 
be  all  right  though  in  a  little  while."  The 
young  man  bent  above  him  sympathetically. 

' '  Where  is  the  trouble  ? "  he  said.  ' '  Perhaps 
I  can  be  of  use."  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  hesi- 
tated a  moment  and  then,  reaching  out,  took  hold 
of  Ivan  Egorovitch's  hand  and  placed  it  clum- 
sily against  his  breast. 

"Here!"  he  said  huskily,  and  the  young  man 
could  feel  that  the  heart  inside  was  beating 
wildly,  and  fluttering  like  a  thing  gone  mad. 

"You  are  indeed  ill,"  he  said  with  solicitous 
interest,  and  obeying  mechanically  the  impulse 
to  be  of  help,  he  pushed  him  gently  by  the  shoul- 
ders to  lay  him  back  upon  the  bed.  Mikhail 
Sergeievitch  resisted  and  held  himself  upright 
as  he  was. 

"No!"  he  panted,  "I  breathe  better  where  I 
am."  Ivan  Egorovitch  stood  back  and  looked 
at  him  in  some  perplexity. 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    151 

' '  When  did  it  happen  ? ' '  lie  said.  * '  Have  you 
been  this  way  long?" 

"Only  about  an  hour — though  I  felt  it  this 
morning  and  knew  that  it  would  come.  I  held 
it  back,  though, ' '  he  added  with  a  gleam  of  tri- 
umph, "until  I  got  away  from  the  people  at  the 
beach!" 

"But  what  was  it  that  brought  it  on?"  The 
lieutenant's  eyes  came  up  searchingly  to  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  face  as  if  weighing  how  far  he 
might  reveal  to  him  his  heart.  But  he  was  sick 
and  weakened  by  his  pain  and  the  desire  to  un- 
burden himself  to  some  sympathetic  soul  was 
too  strong  for  the  dread  of  ridicule  which  held 
him  back. 

"I  was  afraid!"  he  whispered,  and  looked 
shamefacedly  at  the  floor. 

"Afraid?" 

"Yes,  not  of  the  sickness  itself,  for  that  I 
have  had  before.  But  how  could  he  know — how 
could  he  tell  it  was  coming  back?" 

"Who  know?"  demanded  the  young  man 
earnestly. 

"That  devil  of  a  priest!"  Ivan  Egorovitch 
crossed  himself  swiftly  and  murmured  an  in- 
ward prayer. 


152  THE  CHALLENGE 

"He  said  it  came  from  God!"  he  answered 
with  a  sudden  awe-struck  recollection.  "But  I 
did  not  believe  him  at  the  time ! ' ' 

"It  came,  though, "  said  Mikhail  Etolin  sim- 
ply, and  began  quietly  to  cry.  "It  was  the 
bell!"  he  went  on  miserably.  "I  should  not 
have  minded  if  it  had  not  been  for  that.  When 
he  first  rang  it,  I  laughed  and  thought  it  was  a 
joke.  But  when  he  kept  on  doing  it,  the  thing 
stayed  with  me,  whether  I  would  or  not.  It  got 
on  my  nerves  to  hear  it  going  day  after  day,  and 
then  the  heat  brought  back  the  trouble  and  I  be- 
gan to  wonder  whether  he  really  knew.  This 
morning,  I  felt  the  thing  was  coming  and  tried 
to  fight  it  off — but  I  knew  it  would  get  me  when 
the  priest  rang  his  bell  and  so  I  came  away  early 
to  this  place.  It  was  true,  too,"  he  added 
gloomily.  ' '  When  he  rang  it,  I  went  down ! ' ' 

"But,  your  Well-born,"  cried  the  young  man 
earnestly,  "it  was  your  breathing,  not  your 
heart,  that  Simeon  Gvosdef  said  would  show  the 
change."  Moved  either  by  the  suggestion  or, 
perhaps,  by  some  crisis  of  the  disease,  the  lieu- 
tenant's jaw  dropped  so  that  his  mouth  came 
open  and  he  carried  his  hand  up  swiftly  to  his 
throat.  His  body  stiffened  till  he  was  bolt  up- 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    153 

right  and  his  breath  began  to  come  and  go  in 
long  spasmodic  gasps. 

"Air!"  he  cried  fiercely,  "air!"  and  clutched 
at  his  face  as  if  to  tear  away  some  physical  ob- 
struction from  before  his  mouth. 

It  was  only  for  a  moment  and  then  he  went 
limply  together  and  slid,  a  helpless  heap,  down 
to  the  floor.  His  face  was  purple  and  his 
breath  still  came  in  short  whistling  gasps.  But 
he  was  not  unconscious  and,  keeping  his  eyes 
beseechingly  on  Ivan  Egorovitch,  he  continued 
his  half-inarticulate  cry  for  help. 

The  young  man  recovered  from  his  fright  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  arms,  dragged  him  uncere- 
moniously across  the  room  to  the  open  door. 
There,  on  his  back,  with  his  head  across  the 
threshold,  he  let  him  rest,  and  taking  a  fan  he 
knelt  beside  him  and  swung  it  to  keep  the 
air  moving  evenly  across  his  face.  The  crisis 
passed  almost  as  quickly  as  it  had  come,  but  it 
left  the  lieutenant  so  weak  it  was  some  time 
before  he  was  able  to  sit  up.  "When  he  did,  his 
first  thought  was  to  relieve  his  fear. 

"The  priest — "  he  whispered,  as  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch held  him  up.  "Was  any  one  here  to  see ? ' * 

"Not  a  soul,"  replied  the  young  man  reas- 


154  THE  CHALLENGE 

suringly.  Mikhail  Etolin  gave  a  long  sigh  of 
relief. 

"That  is  good/'  he  said  faintly.  "They 
must  never  know!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  got  him 
back  into  his  bed  and  poured  out  for  him  a  little 
brandy  in  a  cup.  The  lieutenant  was  too  ex- 
hausted to  remain  steadily  awake,  but  more  than 
once  his  mind  came  back  to  the  advantage  of 
keeping  his  sickness  a  secret  from  the  camp. 

"We  will  fool  the  priest  yet!"  he  cried  ex- 
citedly. "You  see  now  why  I  had  need  to  have 
you  with  me  in  the  house." 

After  a  time  he  went  more  comfortably  to 
sleep  and  his  attendant,  sitting  idly  by,  found 
life  growing  heavy  on  his  hands.  It  had  been 
a  strenuous  day  and  the  unusual  emotion  of  it 
weighed  him  down.  He  remembered,  too,  that 
he  had  eaten  nothing  since  the  morning  and,  go- 
ing noiselessly  to  the  table,  he  selected  for  him- 
self some  food.  But  at  the  best  it  was  lonely 
work  and  he  yearned  for  something  that  would 
bring  it  to  an  end. 

The  men  came  back  from  work  and  he  watched 
the  wind  bend  the  smoke  of  their  supper-fires 
above  the  various  roofs.  Then  he  found  con- 
cern lest  Mikhail  Etolin  should  hear  and  waken 


IVAN  HAS  A  STEENUOUS  DAY    155 

when  Simeon  Gvosdef  rang  his  evening  bell. 
He  closed  the  door  and  stood  outside  to  listen 
for  the  sound.  But  when  it  came  it  was  from  a 
distance  somewhere  on  the  bay  and  so  low  that 
in  his  closed  chamber  the  sleeper  could  be 
trusted  not  to  hear. 

It  was  a  gleam  of  comfort  to  him  to  feel  that 
the  priest's  insidious  suggestion  for  once,  at 
least,  had  failed  of  its  effect.  Then  suddenly 
he  found  another  pleasant  thrill,  for  on  the 
lower  ground  along  the  shore  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  girlish  figure  clad  in  a  soft  gray 
dress  and  outlined  clearly  against  the  blue  water 
of  the  bay.  He  recognized  it  with  delight  and 
instantly  a  resolve  grew  in  his  mind.  Warning 
the  cook  that  he  should  not  disturb  Mikhail  Eto- 
lin  in  his  sleep,  he  left  the  house  behind  him  and 
ran  lightly  down  the  path.  Before  he  caught 
up  with  her  he  sought,  she  was  well  along  the 
beach. 

"Motrya,"  he  called  sharply,  and  she  stopped 
and  turned  around. 

"Have  you  run  away,  too?"  he  demanded 
breathlessly  as  he  came  to  where  she  stood. 
She  looked  at  him  brightly  and  answered  with  a 
laugh. 


156  THE  CHALLENGE 

"I  suppose  it  was  running  away,"  she  said, 
'  '  though  I  had  not  thought  of  it  as  such.  I  had 
been  in  the  house  all  day  and  wanted  to  get 
out." 

"It  was  the  same  with  me,"  he  answered 
gleefully.  "Why  should  we  not  run  away  to- 
gether? It  is  so  much  more  fun  than  doing  it 
alone."  She  caught  the  infection  of  his  gaiety 
and  clapped  her  hands  as  if  she  were  still  a 
child. 

"Where  shall  we  go?"  she  cried  delightedly. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  thought  quickly  over  the  possi- 
bilities at  hand. 

"It  is  nearly  three  hours  yet  to  sunset,"  he 
said  promptly,  "and  the  tide  is  nearly  full. 
Let  us  take  the  canoe  and  go  down  the  channel. 
I  will  show  you  the  draw  and  you  can  pick  the 
flowers  that  I  have  been  promising  you  from  the 
time  you  came  ashore." 

"Good!"  she  returned,  "only  I  have  no  hat 
and  you  must  surely  get  me  back  here  before 
dark."  They  turned  back  to  the  landing  and 
out  along  the  little  causeway  to  the  selected 
boat.  The  young  man  drew  it  along  the  rocky 
edge  and  held  it  firmly  while  she  took  her  seat. 

"Now  do  not  move,"  he  cautioned  as  he  knelt 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    157 

in  his  own  place.  She  watched  him  with  eager 
interest  as  he  pushed  off  the  flimsy  craft  and  be- 
gan to  increase  the  power  of  his  stroke.  The 
bay  was  absolutely  still  and  Ivan  Egorovitch, 
watching  the  girl  as  she  sat  facing  him  in  the 
bow,  was  moved  to  paddle  fast,  that  the  wind 
caused  by  the  motion  should  ruffle  up  her  hair. 
She  had  never  before  been  in  so  slight  a  craft 
and  was  disturbed  by  the  swift  movement 
underneath  her  feet. 

"It  is  like  flying,"  she  said,  gripping  the 
edges  convulsively  on  either  side.  "I  like  it 
while  it  is  smooth,  but,  even  with  you,  I  think 
I  should  be  afraid  when  it  was  not." 

"It  is  always  smooth,"  replied  the  young  man 
reassuringly.  "I  have  been  here  two  summers 
now  and  have  never  yet  seen  a  wave  worth  not- 
ing on  the  bay,"  She  was  not  sorry,  though, 
when  the  channel  had  been  threaded  and  they 
came  to  the  little  landing  at  the  point.  She 
remained  quiet  while  he  tied  the  boat  and  drew 
it  as  close  as  could  be  to  the  shore. 

"Stand  up,"  he  said  authoritatively,  and  she 
rose  unsteadily  to  her  feet.  He  reached  her  his 
hand  as  she  took  a  first  step  forward.  Then, 
as  the  little  craft  moved  treacherously  beneath 


158  ,THE  CHALLENGE 

her,  she  lost  her  head,  and  with  a  little  gasp 
lunged  forward  and  caught  him  nervously  about 
the  neck.  He  lifted  her  with  a  straightening  of 
the  shoulders  and  stepped  quickly  back,  and  the 
canoe,  freed  of  its  burden,  ran  smoothly  out  till 
it  hung  dancing  at  its  tether's  end. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  with  the  girl  in  his 
arms  and,  instead  of  setting  her  down,  went  with 
her  up  the  winding  path  that  led  to  the  summit 
of  the  cliff.  She  made  no  objection  till  the  top 
was  reached.  Then  she  lowered  her  arms  and 
pushed  away  from  him. 

' '  That  will  do, ' '  she  said  warningly.  i '  Please 
let  me  down."  He  obeyed  at  once  and  set  her 
gently  on  the  grass. 

"You  were  too  quick,"  he  said  when  he  could 
get  his  breath.  "It  does  not  do  to  move  so  sud- 
denly in  a  canoe."  But  Motrya  Petrovna  had 
got  her  eyes  on  the  flowers  and  with  a  little 
cry  was  out  among  them,  moving  swiftly 
here  and  there.  She  was  like  one  intoxicated 
with  delight  and  went  from  one  sort  to  another, 
examining  and  gathering  with  almost  jealous 
haste.  Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  her  with  a 
smile  and  waited  contentedly  until  her  erratic 
wanderings  brought  her  back  again  to  where  he 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    159 

stood.  Her  hair  was  blown  into  disorder  and 
lie  could  scarcely  see  her  face  above  the  armful 
of  her  flowers. 

"Do  you  expect  to  take  all  those  things  home 
with  you?"  he  asked  in  good-natured  raillery. 
"If  so,  I  shall  have  to  get  a  bigger  boat." 

"I  shall  not  leave  one,"  she  answered  scorn- 
fully, "and  to-morrow  I  am  coming  back  to  get 
the  rest!" 

"Lay  them  here,  though,  for  the  present,"  he 
continued.  "You  can  get  them  again  when  you 
have  seen  the  draw. ' '  She  arranged  them  care- 
fully under  a  convenient  bush  and  followed  him 
across  the  little  meadow  for  perhaps  a  hundred 
yards.  There,  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff  along  the 
channel,  he  came  to  a  final  stop. 

"Look  down,"  he  said,  and  steadied  her  by 
holding  to  her  arm.  Just  above  the  water  and 
some  forty  feet  below,  she  saw  there  was  a 
narrow  level  shelf. 

"I  am  going  to  take  you  down  there,"  he 
said,  "and  you  will  see  something  you  never 
saw  before. ' '  She  weighed  the  thing  with  some 
misgiving  in  her  mind  but  followed  him  submis- 
sively when  he  began  the  descent.  It  was  a 
narrow  path,  but  safe,  and  at  first  she  found  no 


160  THE  CHALLENGE 

reason  for  alarm.  But  half-way  down,  it 
skirted  dizzily  around  a  rocky  point  and  here 
a  sudden  panic  seized  her  and  she  stopped  and 
closed  her  eyes.  He  turned  at  once  and,  step- 
ping between  her  and  the  descent,  he  swept  her 
firmly  back  against  the  rock.  She  clung  to  him 
and  he  waited  until  she  should  regain  her  self- 
control. 

' '  Were  you  afraid  ? ' '  he  whispered  quizzically. 
She  gave  her  head  a  decided  shake  but  did  not 
open  her  eyes. 

"It  is  the  last  turn,"  he  said  consolingly. 
"Come,  I  will  help  you  till  you  get  around. " 
He  put  his  arm  around  her  and  held  her  for  the 
going,  tightly  pressed  against  the  cliff.  When 
they  were  down,  he  found  a  place  for  her  with 
her  back  against  the  rock,  and  threw  himself 
beside  her  on  the  ground.  She  was  still  for  a 
moment,  and  then  her  hand  went  out  and  slid 
confidingly  into  his. 

"I  was  afraid,  Ivan,"  she  whispered  guiltily. 
"It  seemed  as  if  the  path  led  right  off  into  the 
sea."  He  laughed  contentedly  and  patted  af- 
fectionately the  hand  that  lay  in  his. 

"And  yet  you  are  here  all  safe,"  he  said  with 
pretended  wonder.  "Isn't  it  fine  to  have  both 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY   161 

the  thrill  and  the  escape ! ' '  Her  color  was  com- 
ing back  and  she  smiled  up  at  him  happily. 

"What  was  it  you  brought  me  down  here  to 
see?"  she  asked. 

"The  draw,"  he  said,  getting  nimbly  to  his 
feet.  "Wait  here  for  a  moment  till  I  go  and 
get  the  rope."  He  was  away  from  her  and 
climbing  up  the  cliff  before  she  was  fairly  con- 
scious what  he  had  said.  She  raised  herself 
and  looked  after  him  in  some  dismay,  but  ac- 
cepted his  defection  in  the  spirit  he  had  urged 
and  set  herself  to  wait  for  his  return.  The  com- 
ing was  not  long  delayed,  and  when  he  appeared 
around  the  point  of  rock,  she  saw  that  he  had  a 
coil  of  rope  and  a  good-sized  log  of  wood. 

"My!  but  you  make  me  trouble!"  he  panted 
as  he  laid  them  at  her  feet.  "I  have  run  all  the 
way  back  here  from  the  boat." 

"Why,  I  did  not  want  them!"  she  cried  in  as- 
tonishment. 

' '  Oh  yes,  you  did, ' '  he  answered  lightly, ' '  only 
you  did  not  know  it  until  now.  I  am  going  to 
use  them  to  show  you  the  working  of  the  draw. 
I  ran  for  fear  I  should  not  get  here  in  time." 
He  was  knotting  one  end  of  the  cord  to  the  billet 
as  he  spoke,  and  fastened  the  other  securely 


162  THE  CHALLENGE 

around  a  jutting  point  of  rock.  Then,  lifting 
the  log,  he  threw  it  as  far  as  he  could  out  into 
the  stream. 

It  lay  quite  still  after  the  splash  and  he  eased 
the  long  rope  down  into  the  water  so  the 
float  might  be  free  to  move  which  way  it  would. 
At  first,  there  was  no  definite  advance,  but  soon 
it  could  be  seen  that  it  was  moving  slowly  up 
the  channel  toward  the  bay.  Ivan  Egorovitch 
nodded  vigorously  in  satisfaction  as  he  saw  it 
start. 

'  '  I  am  in  time, ' '  he  said.  t '  It  is  going  toward 
the  east.  That  means  the  tide  is  not  yet  full." 
The  girl  leaned  forward  and  watched  tlie  mov- 
ing billet  curiously. 

"I  do  not  see  that  it  is  doing  anything 
strange, "  she  said.  "When  is  it  going  to  be- 
gin?" 

"Almost  at  once.  Do  not  think  about  it  for 
the  moment,  but  watch  that  line  of  water  over 
by  the  other  shore."  She  did  as  she  was  bid 
and  saw  that  opposite  them  in  the  channel  some 
strange  disturbance  of  the  surface  had  begun. 
Instead  of  the  former  smoothness,  stirred  only 
by  the  running  of  the  tide,  there  was  now  a  well- 
defined  patch  of  choppy  water,  where  the  waves 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY    163 

rose  and  fell  sharply,  as  if  troubled  by  some  un- 
seen force,  and  around  this  the  whole  channel 
began  to  stir  and  move  uneasily  in  wider,  longer 
swells.  There  was  something  so  unusual  and 
sinister  in  its  development  and  growth  that  the 
girl  watched  it  with  absorbed  interest  and  un- 
consciously moved  back  closer  to  the  wall  of 
rock.  She  saw  nothing  else  till  her  companion 
touched  her  and  pointed  with  his  hand. 

"Look  at  the  billet,  now,"  he  said  quietly. 
She  turned  her  head  so  as  to  bring  the  log  again 
within  her  gaze,  and  saw  that  instead  of  floating 
idly  as  before  at  the  end  of  the  taut  rope,  it  had 
turned  back  on  its  course  and  was  moving 
slowly  but  steadily  toward  the  spot  of  foam  on 
the  other  side.  It  struggled  and  pulled  like  a 
sentient  thing  and  when  it  had  swept  round  the 
wide  radius  of  the  cord  and  reached  the  farther- 
most limit,  it  continued  to  strain  against  its 
tether  as  if  it  were  alive. 

"Come  and  draw  it  in,"  said  the  young  man, 
reaching  out  his  hand.  "I  want  you  to  see  how 
strongly  the  water  pulls."  He  raised  her  to 
her  feet  and  went  with  her  to  where  the  rope 
was  tied.  She  took  hold  of  it  with  both  hands 
and  pulled  gently  at  first,  and  then  with  all  her 


164  THE  CHALLENGE 

strength.  The  rope  stiffened  and  raised  up,  but 
the  billet  did  not  move. 

"It  is  because  you  do  not  know  how,"  he 
said,  to  ease  her  failure.  "You  should  give  a 
quick  jerk  like  this."  Bracing  his  feet,  he 
threw  his  whole  weight  suddenly  back  on  the 
rope.  The  billet  stopped  its  dancing  and  began 
to  move  responsively  toward  the  shore.  But 
the  girPs  mind  was  on  the  thing  itself,  rather 
than  the  way. 

6 1  It  is  strong  enough ! ' '  she  said  with  a  shud- 
der. i '  What  would  happen  if  we  were  out  there 
in  the  canoe!" 

"I  will  show  you,"  he  answered,  "when  I 
have  drawn  this  in."  He  brought  the  log 
ashore  and,  untying  the  rope,  he  threw  the  loos- 
ened billet  back  into  the  sea.  It  caught  the  im- 
pulse of  the  whirlpool  from  the  time  that  it  was 
launched  and  moved  evenly  out  with  a  wide, 
swinging  curve  toward  the  point  from  which  it 
had  just  been  pulled.  The  girl  watched  it  with 
a  fearful  interest  and  when  it  began  to  quicken 
in  its  speed  she  moved  closer  to  Ivan  Egorovitch 
and  slipped  her  hand  timidly  beneath  his  arm. 

The  billet  reached  the  patch  of  angry  water 
and  for  a  moment  seemed  to  pause.  Dipping 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY   165 

toward  the  center  so  that  the  rear  end  rose 
above  the  foam,  it  waved  uneasily  from  side  to 
side  and  then  with  a  swift  plunge  went  under 
out  of  sight.  The  girl's  tense  grasp  relaxed 
and  she  took  a  long,  deep  breath. 

" Where  has  it  gone?"  she  whispered. 

6  f  There  is  no  one  knows, ' '  he  answered.  ' l  Of 
all  who  have  been  drawn  down,  not  one  has 
ever  come  back  to  tell." 

"Then  there  have  been — men?" 

"Yes,  men  and  boats.  There  were  those 
Frenchmen,  you  know,  who  are  buried  on  the 
island.  So  far,  this  year,  but  one  hunter  has 
been  caught,  but  last  year  we  lost  two."  She 
shivered  slightly  and  he  put  his  arm  around 
her  and  drew  her  closely  to  his  side. 

"I  would  not  like  to  die  like  that,"  she  said 
appealingly,  and  leaned  against  him  as  if  he 
were  a  safeguard  from  the  danger  that  threat- 
ened so  near  her  in  the  sea.  They  stood  silent 
for  some  time,  he  with  his  thought  on  her,  and 
she  letting  her  imagination  dwell  fearfully  on 
the  pitiful  tragedies  of  the  spot.  Then,  with  a 
lover's  obliviousness  to  time  and  place,  he  bent 
above  her  till  his  cheek  was  almost  against  her 
hair. 


166  THE  CHALLENGE 

*  *  I  love  you — do  you  know  it  ? "  lie  whispered 
earnestly.  She  looked  up  at  him  suddenly  and 
as  quickly  let  her  lids  go  down. 

1 1 1  have  been  told  so, ' '  she  said  demurely,  and 
kept  her  eyes  on  the  ground.  He  laughed  in 
spite  of  his  vexation  that  her  answer  was  not 
what  he  wished. 

"I  know  now,"  he  went  on  eagerly,  "why  it 
was  that  we  were  both  uneasy  this  afternoon 
and  felt  that  we  must  get  away.  It  was  because 
it  was  the  first  time  since  your  coming  that  we 
had  not  seen  each  other  all  day  long."  She 
considered  a  moment  before  she  made  reply. 

"Perhaps,"  she  said  doubtfully,  "but  I  did 
not  know  it  at  the  time."  Her  gaze  went  wan- 
dering out  across  the  channel  and  before  he 
could  make  answer,  she  moved  suddenly  back 
from  him  and  stood  looking  intently  eastward 
toward  the  post. 

"Ivan!"  she  said  sharply,  "did  you  not  say 
that  at  this  time  it  is  not  safe  for  any  one  to 
cross  the  draw?" 

"Yes,"  he  responded.    "Why?" 

"Then  what  is  that  man  doing,  coming  this 
;way  in  a  boat?"  He  looked  in  the  direction 
she  pointed  and  saw  that  a  canoe  with  one 


IVAN  HAS  A  STEENUOUS  DAY    167 

man  in  it  had  come  into  view,  moving  out  from 
the  inner  bay.  He  was  all  excitement  in  a  mo- 
ment and  went  rapidly  toward  the  new-comer 
as  far  as  he  could  go  along  the  ledge. 

1 '  I  can  not  understand, ' '  he  said  slowly,  '  *  un- 
less the  man  has  made  a  mistake  about  the 
tide. ' '  Motrya  Petrovna  had  followed  close  be- 
hind him,  but  he  seemed  to  forget  her  presence 
and  stood  with  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  approach- 
ing boat  till  he  could  distinguish  the  identity  of 
the  man  within. 

"It  is  the  mad  priest!"  he  exclaimed  help- 
lessly. "It  may  be  that  he  does  not  know!" 
Putting  his  hands  to  his  lips  he  shouted  lustily 
a  warning  to  the  unsuspecting  man. 

"Go  back!"  he  cried,  and  waved  his  hands 
in  the  direction  of  the  post.  The  priest  did  not 
seem  to  understand  and  paid  no  attention  to  the 
warning  beyond  changing  his  course  slightly  as 
if  to  come  to  where  they  stood.  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  continued  to  gesticulate  and  shout,  until 
by  the  unsteady  wavering  of  the  canoe  he  saw 
that  it  was  beginning  to  feel  the  grapple  of 
the  draw. 

"The  fool!"  he  burst  out  angrily  and  ran 
rapidly  along  the  ledge  to  where  he  had  left 


168  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  rope.  Throwing  off  his  coat  and  boots,  he 
began  with  feverish  haste  to  tie  the  free  end 
of  the  cord  about  his  waist.  Motrya  Petrovna 
watched  him  with  horror  in  her  face. 

"Ivan!"  she  demanded  fearfully,  "Ivan! 
What  are  you  going  to  do?"  He  did  not  even 
look  at  her,  but  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  move- 
ments of  the  boat. 

"I  am  going  to  try  to  reach  him  before  the 
current  gets  too  strong  a  hold,"  he  said  me- 
chanically. The  girl  moved  quickly  between 
him  and  the  water  and  threw  herself  impul- 
sively upon  him,  clasping  both  her  arms  around 
his  neck. 

"You  shall  not!"  she  cried  sharply.  "I  can 
not  bear  it.  I  will  not  let  you  go!"  He  did 
not  dare  to  take  his  eyes  from  the  channel  lest 
he  should  miss  the  proper  time  to  start,  and, 
without  looking  at  her,  he  unclasped  her  arms 
and  set  her  gently  to  one  side. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,  dear,"  he  said  soberly. 
"I  can  reach  him  without  danger  and  at  the 
worst  you  will  only  have  to  pull  me  in  by  the 
rope." 

The  canoe  was  now  quite  near,  but  the  cur- 
rent had  begun  to  draw  it  appreciably  away 


IVAN  HAS  A  STRENUOUS  DAY   169 

from  them  to  tie  other  side.  Ivan  Egorovitch 
stood  holding  Motrya  Petrovna  at  arm's  length 
till  he  judged  the  best  moment  had  arrived. 
Then  he  turned  for  an  instant  to  her  and  caught 
her  by  the  hands. 

"Good-by,  dear,"  he  said  simply,  and  let  him- 
self down  gently  into  the  sea.  The  girl  stood 
with  her  hands  clasped  convulsively  before  her 
and  watched  his  black  head  as  it  moved  away 
from  her  through  the  waves.  Like  a  sudden 
vision  there  stood  revealed  to  her  all  that  it 
would  mean  if  he  should  not  come  back,  and  she 
began  to  comprehend  how  much  she  leaned  on 
his  regard. 

"Ivan!"  she  called,  "Ivan!"  and  when  there 
was  no  answer  she  burst  into  tears. 

"I  can  not  bear  it,"  she  cried  miserably,  and 
resolutely  shut  her  eyes,  but  in  a  moment  she 
opened  them  again  and  turned  tremblingly  to 
look.  The  current  had  been  with  the  swimmer 
and  he  had  easily  overhauled  the  drifting  boat. 
He  could  not  hope  to  clamber  into  the  tiny  craft 
and  Motrya  Petrovna  could  see  that  he  was 
talking  excitedly  with  the  priest  and  lifting  on 
the  rope  as  if  to  show  him  what  to  do. 

Simeon  Gvosdef,  however,  seemed  not  to  take 


170  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  rescue  in  good  part.  He  pushed  the  swim- 
mer from  him  with  his  hands  and  once  he  raised 
a  hand  as  if  to  strike.  The  pull  of  the  water 
increased  as  the  boat  drifted  nearer  to  the  cen- 
ter whirl,  and  the  rope  grew  so  taut  that  it  was 
beyond  Ivan  Egorovitch's  strength  to  hold  back 
against  the  growing  strain.  He  made  one  final 
effort  to  lift  the  rope  above  the  bow  of  the  canoe 
and,  failing,  raised  himself  suddenly  at  one  side 
and  with  a  swift  use  of  his  weight,  upset  the 
boat  and  turned  the  priest  out  unexpectedly 
into  the  sea. 

There  was  a  frightened  cry  from  Simeon 
Gvosdef,  and  the  girl  saw  that  Ivan  Egorovitch 
had  grappled  with  the  floundering  man  and  was 
seeking  to  push  him  before  him  to  the  shore. 
It  was  a  difficult  task,  for  the  suck  of  the  draw 
was  strong  and  the  priest  had  completely  lost 
his  head,  so  that  he  struggled  wildly  all  the 
time.  She  looked  for  the  canoe,  but  it  had 
drifted  to  the  center  and  was  gone. 

With  eager  wish  to  help,  Motrya  Petrovna 
seized  on  the  rope  and  drew  it  in  cautiously 
till  she  could  feel  the  drag  of  the  living  bodies 
on  the  other  end.  She  put  her  weight  against 
it  and  held  back  and  felt  with  a  keen  thrill  of 


The  girl  saw  that  Ivan  had  grappled  with  the  floundering  man 

Page  170 


IVAN  HAS  A  STEENUOUS  DAY    171 

delight  that  her  added  strength  was  enough  to 
turn  the  tide  in  favor  of  the  swimmers  and 
that  they  were  moving  perceptibly  toward 
shore. 

So  far,  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  succeeded  in 
keeping  Simeon  Gvosdef  before  him  so  that  he 
could  not  interfere.  He  had  his  hand  firmly  in 
the  priest's  hair  and  kept  him  at  arm's  length  in 
front,  but  holding  him  so  that  his  ghastly  face 
was,  for  the  most  part,  outside  in  the  air. 

But  half-way  to  the  shore  the  priest's  hand 
came  in  contact  with  the  rope.  It  gave  him 
an  unexpected  hold,  and  in  an  instant  he  had 
pulled  himself  around  and  wound  his  arms 
about  his  rescuer  in  a  close,  convulsive  grip. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  struggled  wildly  to  throw  off 
the  clutch  and,  failing,  lifted  his  one  free  arm 
and  struck  the  priest  blindly  with  it  in  the  face. 

Simeon  Gvosdef 's  head  went  back  with  a 
snap,  but  his  hold  was  unconscious  and  could 
not  thus  be  made  to  yield.  There  was  a  mo- 
mentary struggle  between  the  two  men  and  a 
wild  beating  of  the  sea.  Then,  without  a  word 
or  sign,  they  both  went  down  and  the  water 
closed  bubblingly  above  their  heads. 

The  girl  cried  out  as  she  saw  them  disappear 


172  THE  CHALLENGE 

and  pulled  with  superhuman  strength  on  the 
rope.  They  came  up  promptly  like  corks,  and 
before  they  went  down  again  she  saw  that  the 
priest 's  arms  and  legs  were  wound  around  Ivan 
Egorovitch  so  tightly  that  he  could  no  longer 
swim.  Her  eyes  were  so  full  of  tears  she  could 
scarcely  see  and  her  breath  came  in  dry,  rack- 
ing sobs.  But  she  did  not  cease  to  pull  on  the 
rope,  though  she  felt  herself  turn  faint  each  time 
they  went  out  of  sight.  Though  only  a  few 
moments,  it  seemed  an  hour  to  her  before  the 
task  was  done  and  she  had  the  bodies  close 
against  the  ledge. 

She  could  not  lift  them,  now  that  they  were 
there,  but  farther  on  there  was  a  second  ledge 
that  shelved  down  gradually  till  it  was  covered 
by  the  sea.  To  this  she  brought  them  and  with 
great  pains  got  them  up  till  they  rested  fairly 
on  the  stone.  Both  were  unconscious,  but  not 
dead,  and  Simeon  Gvosdef  's  resistance  was  but 
feeble  when  she  set  herself  to  make  him  loose 
his  hold. 

She  left  him  where  he  was,  except  that  she 
rolled  him  over  on  his  face  with  his  head  on 
lower  ground.  But  Ivan  Egorovitch  she  tugged 
and  pulled  until  she  got  him  to  the  broader 


IVAN  HAS  A  STKENUOUS  DAY    173 

ledge.  She  had  little  knowledge  of  what  was 
best  to  do,  but  she  dried  his  face  and  smoothed 
his  hair,  and  rubbed  and  kneaded  him  till  the 
life  came  back  and  the  color  slowly  gathered  in 
his  lips. 

"Ivan!"  she  cried,  "Ivan!"  and  shook  him 
to  drive  the  impression  in.  He  stirred  uneasily 
and  opened  his  eyes.  The  movement  was  uncon- 
scious and,  with  a  flutter  of  his  eyelids,  he  let 
them  down  again  and  lay  impassive  as  before. 

But  to  Motrya  Petrovna  the  action  brought 
the  liveliest  thrill  of  joy.  She  lifted  him  by 
the  shoulders  till  he  was  half-way  in  her  lap, 
and  gathering  his  head  in  her  arms  she  held  it 
close  against  her  breast.  Her  face  went  down 
till  it  was  touching  his,  and  she  rocked  him 
backward  and  forward,  as  a  mother  might  a 
child. 

"I  love  you,"  she  said  softly,  though  she 
knew  he  did  not  hear.  "I  can  not  wait,  Ivan. 
I  want  to  tell  you  now.  You  know  I  said  I  had 
never  had  the  feeling,  and  truly  I  did  not  till 
to-day.  But  when  I  saw  you  out  there  in  the 
water  it  came  to  me  like  a  flash  of  light.  There 
is  no  doubt  about  it  any  more,  Ivan,  for  I  know 
now — I  know!" 


CHAPTEE  VIII 

VARENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC 

The  sun  was  almost  down  before  help  came  to 
Motrya  Petrovna  and  the  two  shipwrecked  men. 
Then  a  passing  canoe,  manned  by  natives,  re- 
sponded to  her  call  and  carried  the  forlorn 
party  in  safety  to  the  post.  The  heart  went 
out  of  the  girl  with  the  passing  of  her  terror 
and  suspense,  and  she  was  almost  as  limp  as  the 
other  two  when  they  got  her  to  the  camp.  The 
priest  was  delirious  and  went  unconscious  to 
his  bed,  but  Ivan  Egorovitch  regained  his 
senses,  though  he  could  not  walk  when  he  first 
got  ashore.  He  saw  to  it  that  Motrya  Petrovna 
was  sent  home  with  proper  care  and  then  had 
himself  taken  to  Mikhail  Etolin's  house. 

The  news  of  the  affair  spread  in  wild  rumors 
through  the  little  camp,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch 
was  hardly  in  dry  clothes  when  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch  came  anxiously  to  the  house  and  asked  for 
him.  "When  he  saw  Ivan  Egorovitch  sitting  on 

174 


YABENKA  BECOMES  EOMANTIC     175 

the  edge  of  the  bed,  clothed  and  in  his  right 
mind  he  made  a  dash  at  him  with  a  great  shout, 

"Then  you  are  not  dead!"  he  cried  gleefully 
and  caught  him  tightly  in  his  arms.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  winced  at  the  embrace,  though  his 
face  lighted  up  with  pleasure  that  his  foster- 
brother  should  so  care. 

"Easy,  man,  easy!"  he  cried  entreatingly. 
"Every  muscle  in  my  body  is  as  tender  as  a 
boil.  And  if  you  make  a  noise  like  that  you 
will  waken  the  lieutenant  and  he  will  have  you 
put  outside."  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  sheepishly 
let  go  his  hold,  and  seated  himself  on  the  bed 
beside  Ivan  Egorovitch.  He  could  not  yet,  how- 
ever, rid  himself  of  the  affectionate  solicitude 
for  his  blood-brother,  which  his  thought  of  him 
in  peril  had  so  unexpectedly  aroused,  and  began 
feeling  him  all  over  cautiously  with  his  hands 
as  if  to  assure  himself  that  in  the  accident  no 
pieces  had  been  lost. 

"No  bones  broken?"  he  said  inquiringly. 

"No.  Only  the  soreness,  and  a  feeling  as  if 
there  was  too  much  water  in  the  hold. ' '  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  gave  a  nod  of  satisfaction. 

' '  That  is  not  bad, ' '  he  said,  ' l  for  a  man  who 
has  been  in  the  great  draw." 


176  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Why,  I  could  not  possibly  have  got  hurt!" 
interrupted  Ivan  Egorovitch. 

"You  are  the  only  man  who  has  ever  come 
out  of  it  alive, ' '  returned  the  other  dryly.  '  '  Tell 
me  about  it.  I  only  heard  that  you  were  dead. ' ' 

"Why,  I  was  not  even  in  danger,"  said  Ivan 
Egorovitch  scornfully.  "Simeon  Gvosdef  was 
drifting  and  I  went  out  to  him  on  the  end  of  a 
rope.  When  I  got  him,  Motrya  Petrovna  pulled 
us  in."  A  shade  passed  over  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch's  face  and  he  spoke  with  some  surprise. 

' '  Motrya  Petrovna  ? ' '  he  said.  ' t  Was  she  out 
there  with  you  on  the  ledge  f"  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch caught  the  difference  in  his  tone  and 
looked  quickly  round  at  him. 

"Why,  yes,"  he  answered,  "I  took  her  out  to 
see  the  draw."  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  consid- 
ered for  a  moment  and  looked  thoughtfully 
down  at  his  feet. 

"Was  there  any  one  else  with  her?"  he  asked 
slowly. 

"No." 

"You  ought  not  to  have  done  it,"  he  said 
deprecatingly.  "It  was  not  a  place  to  take  her 
to  alone. ' '  Ivan  Egorovitch 's  eyes  twinkled  and 
he  patted  his  blood-brother  softly  on  the  back. 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC      177 

"What  would  you  have  done  if  you  had  been 
in  my  shoes  1"  he  asked  significantly.  Then, 
as  if,  after  all,  the  thing  might  rightfully  de- 
mand a  reason,  he  added  apologetically,  "You 
know  that  I  have  been  going  with  Motrya 
Petrovna,  anywhere  and  everywhere,  since  she 
was  a  little  girl.  '  ' 

"That  is  it!"  burst  out  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
resentfully.  "You  treat  her  as  if  she  were  still 
a  child  and  practise  a  childish  familiarity  with 
her,  while  all  the  time  you  are  thinking  of  her 
in  an  entirely  different  way." 

"What  way?" 

"You  know  as  well  as  I  do,  —  and  it  is  not  at 
all  the  relation  of  being  a  brother  to  her  that 
you  have  in  mind!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  flushed 
responsively,  but  he  did  not  let  his  feelings 
overthrow  his  calm. 

"Stepan,"  he  said  coaxingly,  "you  came  here 
to-night  to  see  me  and  not  to  talk  about  other 
things." 

"I  know  it,"  replied  the  other  doggedly,  "but 
I  have  been  thinking  about  this  a  long  time, 
and  now  that  we  have  got  to  it,  I  believe  we 
had  better  thresh  it  out,"  He  paused  and 
waited  in  aggressive  silence  and  Ivan  Egoro- 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


178  THE  CHALLENGE 

vitch,  with  a  little  sigh  of  acquiescence,  sur- 
rendered himself  to  his  mood. 

"I  do  not  see,  though,  what  there  is  to  make 
so  much  of,"  he  suggested  plaintively.  "The 
girl  does  not  belong  to  you!" 

"Nor  to  you!"  retorted  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
shortly.  "But  you  act  as  if  you  already  had 
her  in  your  hand."  Ivan  Egorovitch  could  not 
resist  the  chance  to  make  a  point. 

"Perhaps  I  have!"  he  said  softly,  and  bent 
forward  so  that  his  blood-brother  could  not 
see  his  face.  Stepan  Dmitrie vitch 's  face  fell 
and  he  rose  abruptly  to  his  feet. 

"If  that  is  true,  it  settles  the  whole  matter," 
he  said  huskily,  "and  I  shall  have  no  more  to 
say."  He  went  moodily  across  the  room  and 
stood  gazing  out  of  the  window  into  the  dusk, 
while  he  regained  his  self-control.  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch watched  him  with  a  look  of  mingled  amuse- 
ment and  regret.  He  made  an  effort  to  get  up 
and  follow  him,  but  found  himself  still  too  un- 
steady on  his  legs. 

"Come  back  here,"  he  said,  "and  listen  to 
reason.  I  did  not  say  that  I  have  her." 

Stepan  Dmitrievitch  turned  and  looked  at  him 
uncertainly,  as  if  trying  to  decide  in  his  slower 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  EOMANTIC      179 

brain  how  fa,r  the  overture  was  sincere.  Then 
he  came  back  to  Ivan  Egorovitch's  bed  and 
stood  in  front  of  him. 

"Tell  me  the  truth!"  he  cried.  "Does  she 
love  you — has  she  told  you  that  she  does  ? ' ' 

"I  hope  she  loves  me,  God  bless  her!"  said 
Ivan  Egorovitch,  "though  she  has  never  yet  ad- 
mitted it  in  words.  I  suspect  she  is  so  young 
she  does  not  know  what  love  is  when  she 
feels  it." 

"She  knows  it  well  enough,"  said  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  grimly,  and  it  was  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch 's  turn  to  look  up  in  surprise.  For  some 
moments  he  studied  his  blood-brother's  face 
curiously  as  if  to  gage  the  particularity  of  his 
knowledge  of  Motrya  Petrovna's  heart.  He 
was  too  sure  of  himself  and  her,  however,  to 
be  troubled  long,  and  with  a  shake  of  his  head 
as  if  to  clear  the  matter  from  his  brain,  he 
seized  hold  of  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  and  drew 
him  down  beside  him  on  the  bed. 

"Come  here,"  he  said,  "and  talk  this  matter 
over  as  a  Christian  should."  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch allowed  himself  to  be  beguiled,  but  sat  in 
dignified  silence  and  waited  for  the  other  to 
begin. 


180  THE  CHALLENGE 

"It  is  hard  for  both  of  us,"  said  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  after  a  moment's  thought.  "I  know  you 
love  Motrya  Petrovna  and  I  believe  I  love  her 
just  as  well  as  you.  She  is  the  first  thing  we 
have  both  wanted  that  we  can  not  properly  di- 
vide. We  can  not  both  have  her,  and  the  only 
way  out  that  I  can  see  is  to  play  fair  until 
she  makes  up  her  mind  which  one  of  us  she 
wants  and  agree  that  the  loser  shall  abide  grace- 
fully by  her  decision  when  it  comes." 

"But  you  have  not  been  playing  fair!"  said 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  impatiently. 

"Yes,  I  have,"  returned  Ivan  Egorovitch 
earnestly.  "I  can  not  help  it  that  I  knew  her 
as  a  child  and  have  her  trust — and,  for  that  mat- 
ter, the  hardest  thing  I  have  to  meet  is  that  she 
has  come  to  treat  me  so  entirely  as  a  brother 
that  I  can  not  persuade  her  to  think  of  me  as 
anything  else."  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  softened 
visibly  and  put  out  his  hand. 

"We  have  been  very  close  to  each  other, 
Ivan,"  he  said  with  a  show  of  affection.  "So 
close  that  we  ought  not  now  to  quarrel  about  a 
girl.  I  want  her  if  I  can  get  her  and  I  shall 
try.  But  I  shall  also  try  not  to  be  jealous  of 
you  again  and,  if  I  can  not  have  her,  there  is 


VARENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC  181 

no  one  I  would  rather  see  her  go  to  than  to 
you." 

"It  is  my  thought,  too,"  said  Ivan  Egorovitch 
soberly,  "and  I  shall  not  grudge  her  to  you,  if 
she  will  not  come  to  me. ' '  They  clasped  hands 
honestly  on  the  bond,  and  Stepan  Dinitrie- 
vitch's  face  cleared  of  its  shadowy  cloud.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  was  tired  and  showed  it  in  his  look. 
His  blood-brother  saw  it  and  took  his  case  in 
hand. 

"You  must  go  to  bed,"  he  said  authorita- 
tively. ' ( I  have  let  you  talk  too  much ! ' '  Ivan 
Egorovitch  made  no  demur  and  allowed  him- 
self to  be  settled  for  the  night.  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch  saw  that  he  had  proper  covers  and  was 
comfortably  placed,  and  when  the  thing  was 
finished  and  there  was  nothing  more  to  do,  be- 
fore he  left  the  place  he  stooped  and  kissed  him 
on  both  cheeks. 

Mikhail  Sergeievitch  had  failed  to  waken 
either  when  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  came  or  when 
he  went,  and  so  it  happened  that  he  alone  of  all 
the  camp  remained  untold  of  what  had  happened 
at  the  draw.  He  slept  well  on  toward  morn- 
ing, and  when  he  opened  his  eyes,  the  long  rest 
had  worked  its  miracle  with  him  and  possessed 


182  THE  CHALLENGE 

him  with  the  feeling  that  his  trouble  had 
abated  and  that  he  was  no  longer  dominated  by 
his  disease. 

His  heart  was  beating  regularly  and  slowly 
and  his  throat  felt  hollow,  so  that  at  will  he 
drew  in  long,  satisfactory  breaths.  He  tested 
these  things  cautiously  and  even  lifted  himself 
to  try  his  strength.  But  there  was  enough  of 
weakness  in  him  to  keep  alive  the  embers  of 
his  fear,  and  he  could  not  entirely  get  out  of  his 
mind  the  conviction  that  the  change  was  a 
respite  only  and  not  a  permanent  relief. 

"Damn  the  priest !"  he  said  under  his  breath. 
'  '  If  it  were  not  for  him,  I  might  get  well ! ' '  The 
impulse,  however,  was  not  in  him  to  get  up,  and 
turning  on  his  side  he  lay  and  listened  to  the 
sounds  of  his  awakening  world.  Through  the 
window  he  could  see  that  the  day  was  clear  and 
about  the  casement  there  was  a  confusing  chat- 
ter of  small  birds.  He  heard  the  cook  get  up 
and  make  his  fire,  and  found  an  interest  in  the 
cheerful  rattle  of  the  dishes  as  he  worked. 

From  the  world  beyond  there  came  no  sound, 
save  an  occasional  shout  from  the  men  and  the 
barking  of  the  dogs  as  they  were  fed  or  har- 
nessed to  the  sleds.  He  let  these  things  drift 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC     183 

idly  through  his  mind  and  was  beginning  to  feel 
impatience  that  his  breakfast  was  not  yet  at 
hand,  when  suddenly  he  became  conscious  that 
something  he  had  been  accustomed  to,  as  a  part 
of  the  usual  morning  routine,  had  somehow  been 
left  out. 

He  could  not  think  for  the  moment  what  the 
lacking  detail  was,  but  the  sense  of  difference 
intruded  itself  steadily  after  he  had  once 
thought  of  it,  and  would  not  be  set  aside.  He 
pondered  on  it  vaguely,  checking  off  in  his  mind 
the  different  things  to  which  he  had  been  used ; 
and  then  as  suddenly  it  came  to  him  in  explana- 
tion that,  though  it  was  long  after  six  o'clock, 
Simeon  Gvosdef  had  not  yet  rung  his  bell. 

He  sat  bolt  upright  when  he  thought  of  it  and 
listened  eagerly  to  every  sound.  He  knew  that 
he  had  been  awake  at  the  accustomed  hour,  and 
it  gave  him  a  wild  thrill  to  think  that  the  priest 
had  for  once  forgotten  the  warning  peal.  It 
put  a  heart  into  him  he  had  not  felt  for  days 
and  he  hastened  to  make  sure  that  he  had  made 
no  mistake.  He  called  aloud  and  was  answered 
by  the  cook.  The  man  came  in  hurriedly,  car- 
rying in  his  hand  a  bowl  which,  with  an  air  of 
apology,  he  set  down  on  a  table  by  the  bed. 


184  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Here  is  your  tea,  your  Well-born,"  lie  said 
with  a  deferential  bow.  "The  remainder  of 
your  breakfast  is  not  ready  yet,  but  it  will  not 
be  long  delayed."  The  lieutenant  did  not  seem 
to  notice  his  confusion  or  that  his  meal  had  not 
been  promptly  served. 

"What  time  is  it?"  he  demanded  eagerly. 

"It  is  after  seven,  your  Well-born,  but  the  fire 
was  very  slow. ' '  Mikhail  Etolin  knew  now  that 
he  had  made  no  mistake  and  there  rose  up 
within  him  an  elation  that  gave  him  an  almost 
irresistible  desire  to  cry  out. 

"Well,  well,"  he  said  graciously,  "there  is 
no  harm  done.  Send  Ivan  Egorovitch  to  me  at 
once  and  bring  me  the  breakfast  whenever  it  is 
cooked."  The  man  did  not  go,  but  stood  first 
on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other,  and  Mikhail 
Sergeievitch  saw  that  he  was  not  at  ease. 

"I  am  afraid,  your  Well-born,  that  Ivan 
Egorovitch  can  not  come, ' '  he  said  respectfully. 
"He  was  asleep  when  I  came  in  and  I  do  not 
even  know  if  he  is  well  enough  to  leave  his 
bed." 

"Why,  what  has  happened  to  him?" 

"It  was  the  accident.  Assuredly  your  Well- 
born will  have  heard!" 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC      185 

"I  have  heard  nothing, "  he  cried  testily. 
"  Go  on  and  tell  me  what  you  know. ' '  The  man 
was  pleased  with  his  sudden  access  of  impor- 
tance, and  gave  the  story  with  full  picturesque- 
ness  of  detail.  The  lieutenant  listened  closely 
and  in  the  description  of  the  final  condition 
of  those  concerned  found  ground  for  a  sudden 
hope.  "The  priest  then — "  he  interrupted. 
"Is  he  already  dead!" 

"Not  dead,  your  Well-born,  but  very  near  to 
death. " 

"Too  bad,"  said  the  lieutenant  regretfully. 
Then,  looking  around  the  room,  he  motioned 
with  his  hand.  "Bring  me  my  clothes  here," 
he  said.  "I  believe  I  shall  get  up."  An  hour 
later  he  came  in  on  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  found 
him  just  finishing  his  morning  meal. 

"You  did  well  in  a  way,  my  boy,"  he  said 
wheezily.  '  *  This  morning  that  devil  of  a  priest 
was  too  sick  to  ring  his  bell.  But  when  you 
saw  out  there  that  his  Master  was  set  to  take 
him,  why  did  you  not  let  him  go?"  There  was 
a  real  mournfulness  in  his  tone  and  he  looked  at 
Ivan  Egorovitch  so  reproachfully  that  the  young 
man  laughed. 

"It  came  so  suddenly,  Mikhail  Sergeievitch, " 


186  THE  CHALLENGE 

he  said  in  humorous  apology,  "that  it  never  oc- 
curred to  me  that  in  saving  him  I  was  inter- 
fering with  the  Lord!" 

"It  was  blasphemy!  It  was  the  unpardon- 
able sin!"  burst  out  the  lieutenant  resentfully. 
"And  the  worst  of  it  is  that  I  shall  have  to 
suffer  for  it — and  not  you!" 

"Well,  at  any  rate,  give  me  credit  for  bring- 
ing you  the  temporary  relief." 

"Yes — if  it  lasts!"  responded  the  lieutenant 
with  a  sigh.  He  ambled  over  to  the  door,  and 
stopped  meditatively  with  his  hand  on  the  latch. 

"I  am  decent  enough  in  most  things,"  he 
said  with  a  little  air  of  shame,  "but  if  I  were 
to  tell  you  the  truth  that  is  really  in  my  heart, 
I  should  have  to  say  that  I  am  honestly  sorry 
that  you  did  not  let  him  drown!" 

After  the  lieutenant's  departure,  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  found  it  no  easy  task  to  stay  cooped 
up  at  home.  He  settled  himself  as  best  he 
might  to  spend  the  day  in  bed,  but  by  ten  o'clock 
his  inclination  got  the  better  of  his  prudence  and 
he  dressed  himself  and  made  ready  to  go  out. 

"I  will  go  and  see  Motrya,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. "Stepan  shall  not  even  have  the  advan- 
tage of  a  day."  He  was  still  lame  and  weak 


VARENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC     187 

and  his  progress  was  difficult  and  slow.  By 
stopping  now  and  then  to  rest,  however,  the  dis- 
tance was  accomplished  without  break;  but 
when  he  arrived,  his  distress  was  very  evident. 

Motrya  Petrovna  was  not  there,  but  her  sister 
and  Tatiana  Vassilievna  sat  at  work  just  within 
the  door  of  the  latter 's  house.  The  older  wornr 
an  was  busy  looking  over  a  basket  of  dried 
pease,  preparatory  to  their  being  cooked,  and 
Varenka  Petrovna  had  a  cloth  and  needle  in  her 
hands  so"  that  she  might  have  at  least  the  ap- 
pearance of  occupation. 

When  they  saw  him,  both  women  rose  up  with 
exclamations  of  surprise.  The  young  man  was 
almost  too  tired  to  smile  and,  after  one  look, 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  laid  hold  on  him  with  both 
hands  and  drew  him  carefully  inside.  Under 
her  direction,  Varenka  Petrovna  pulled  forward 
a  mattress  along  the  raised  platform  at  the 
side,  and  Tatiana  Vassilievna  pushed  him  down 
on  it  and  covered  him  with  rugs. 

"Now,"  she  said  severely,  blowing  out  her 
cheeks,  "what  are  you  here  for,  anyway?  You 
ought  to  be  at  home," 

"Motrya — "  returned  the  young  man  weakly. 
i '  I  thought  perhaps  I  might  see  her  if  I  came. ' ' 


188  THE  CHALLENGE 

"That  you  can  not!"  declared  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  promptly.  i '  Your  slow-moving  brother 
was  here  this  morning  on  the  same  errand  be- 
fore he  went  to  work.  He  stood  around  like  a 
gloomy  owl  when  I  refused  him,  but  he  gave  it 
up  and  went  away,  as  I  told  him  he  would !"  j -:- 

"Motrya  has  not  yet  recovered  from  the 
shock,"  volunteered  Varenka  Petrovna  gravely. 
"She  is  asleep  now,  over  at  the  other  house." 
Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  again  to  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  with  his  most  ingratiating  air. 

"But  you  will  let  me  see  her  when  she 
wakes!"  he  persisted.  Tatiana  Vassilievna 's 
features  remained  severely  fixed  and  her  de- 
termination seemed  as  rigid  as  before. 

"How  many  berries  do  you  think  you  are 
entitled  to  gather  from  my  bush,"  she  said 
loftily, ' t  after  treating  me  to  such  a  fright  about 
my  girl  f ' '  The  young  man  grinned  sheepishly 
and  let  his  eyes  go  down  as  if  abashed. 

"I  do  not  seem  to  have  pleased  anybody  in 
this  business,"  he  said  plaintively.  "Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  lectured  me  last  night,  the  lieuten- 
ant took  a  turn  at  it  this  morning,  and  now  you 
will  not  let  me  see  Motrya  because,  when  it  was 
over,  you  had  an  unexpected  fright ! ' '  Varenka 


VAKENKA  BECOMES  EOMANTIC      189 

looked  at  him  with  ready  sympathy,  but  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  deliberately  brushed  his  plea  aside. 

"I  suppose  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  would  have 
had  you  let  the  man  go  and  drown,"  she  said 
severely.  The  young  man  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders quizzically. 

"From  what  he  said,"  he  answered,  "I  sus- 
pect he  would  have  been  able  to  control  his 
grief  if  I  had  not  got  out  to  him  in  time." 

"I  am  glad  you  did,"  said  the  older  woman 
impetuously, ' i  if  only  that  he  should  not  get  his 
wish!"  Varenka  Petrovna  had  let  her  work 
drop  into  her  lap  and  was  looking  at  him 
thoughtfully. 

"I  am  afraid,  Ivan,"  she  said,  "that  there  is 
at  least  one  more  reckoning  for  you  yet  to 
come."  The  young  man  turned  to  her  in  sur- 
prise. 

"With  whom?" 

i '  With  the  priest.  Are  you  sure  that  he  took 
the  rescue  in  good  part?"  Ivan  Egorovitch 
considered  the  matter  quickly  in  his  mind. 

"No,"  he  said,  "I  am  sure,  rather,  that  he 
did  not.  He  thought  that  I  was  trying  to  drown 
him  when  I  overturned  the  boat. ' 9 

"Then  you  must  have  a  care,"  she  went  on 


190  THE  CHALLENGE 

earnestly.  "You  know  how  vindictive  he  has 
been  toward  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  because  he 
thinks  that  he  killed  his  son."  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  had  finished  with  her  pease  and,  gather- 
ing up  the  things  she  had  been  using,  she  retired 
with  them  to  the  other  room.  Varenka  Petrovna 
waited  till  she  was  well  out  of  sight  and  then 
leaned  forward  to  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  put  out 
her  hand. 

"I  wanted  to  tell  you,  Ivan,"  she  said,  "that 
I  am  glad  you  went  out  there  and  helped  the 
priest.  It  was  a  brave  thing!"  The  young 
man  flushed  with  confusion  at  the  unexpected 
commendation. 

"It  is  sweet  to  hear  you  say  so,"  he  replied 
gratefully.  "But  the  real  credit  belongs  not 
to  me,  but  to  Motrya.  It  was  she  who  saved  us 
both." 

"But  the  impulse  came  from  you.  She  only 
did  as  she  was  bid." 

"That  is  true.  But  it  was  her  strength  and 
not  my  planning  that  drew  us  back  to  shore." 
Varenka  Petrovna  sighed. 

"Motrya  is  so  young,"  she  said,  "that  even 
yet  I  can  not  understand  where  she  got  the 
strength.  I  can  not  think  of  her  as  anything 


YARENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC      191 

but  a  child. ' '  Ivan  Egorovitch  looked  up  at  her 
with  a  smile. 

"She  is  seventeen, "  he  said. 

"I  know,"  she  answered,  "but  that  seems 
very  young." 

"Why,"  said  the  young  man  thoughtlessly, 
"it  is  no  younger  than  you  were  when — "  He 
stopped  in  some  confusion  and  she  quietly  took 
up  the  word. 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  she  said  under  her  breath, 
"but  it  was  different  then."  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  put  her  head  in  at  the  door  and  called 
to  Varenka  Petrovna. 

"Come  and  help  me  with  the  baby,"  she  said. 
"I  want  to  get  him  washed  before  I  start  in  on 
the  work  for  noon." 

"But  there  will  be  no  one  to  talk  to  Ivan 
Egorovitch,"  objected  the  younger  matron. 

"Ivan  Egorovitch  can  go  to  sleep.  It  will 
do  him  good."  Varenka  Petrovna  looked  at 
him  doubtfully. 

"If  I  do,"  asked  the  young  man  boldly,  "will 
you  let  me  see  Motrya  Petrovna  when  I  wake 
again?"  Tatiana  Vassilievna  gave  him  a  look 
of  mock  despair. 

"He  has  nothing  else  in  his  mind!"  she  said 


192  THE  CHALLENGE 

with  a  shake  of  her  head.  ' i  You  go  to  sleep  now 
and  afterwards  we  will  see. ' '  Varenka  Petrov- 
na  rose  and  laid  aside  her  work.  But  before 
she  went,  she  straightened  the  covers  and 
arranged  the  pillows  under  the  young  man's 
head. 

" There,"  she  said,  "you  shall  be  comfortable 
at  least,  and  I  will  look  in  now  and  then  to  see 
that  you  are  all  right. ' '  She  went  out  into  the 
other  room  and  he  was  left  alone.  But  he  was 
not  unhappy,  for  there  remained  behind  her  and 
lingered  in  the  place  the  comfort  of  her  kindli- 
ness and  the  remembered  pleasure  of  her  touch. 
He  lay  back  on  his  pillow  and  contentedly 
closed  his  eyes.  She  had  given  him  a  feminine 
care  he  had  not  experienced  for  years  and  he 
gave  himself  up  to  the  delicious  recollection 
of  it  with  a  lazy  satisfaction.  He  let  his  eyes 
stay  closed,  though  the  impulse  was  not  in  him 
really  to  go  to  sleep.  The  air  was  warm  and 
pleasant  and  he  could  hear  the  low  talk  of  the 
women  and  the  splashing  of  the  baby  in  his 
tub. 

True  to  her  promise,  in  about  ten  minutes, 
Varenka  Petrovna  came  back  to  see  how  he  had 
fared.  He  did  not  stir  or  open  his  eyes  and 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  ROMANTIC     193 

she  came  over  to  him  and  lingered  for  a  mo- 
ment, looking  down.  He  felt  her  fingers  move 
about  his  face  and  she  lightly  lifted  a  stray  lock 
of  hair  from  his  forehead  and  laid  it  gently 
back.  Then  she  went  away,  and  he  found  him- 
self again  alone. 

"He  did  go  to  sleep/'  he  heard  her  say  as 
she  went  into  the  other  room,  and  he  smiled 
happily  to  himself.  There  was  a  genuine  pleas- 
ure in  thus  having  her  come  and  minister  to 
his  need — but  it  was  a  pleasure  purely  innocent 
in  its  thought,  one  that  did  not  at  any  point 
reflect  on  his  loyalty  to  the  girl  he  loved.  The 
subdued  chatter  went  on  in  the  kitchen  for  a 
time  as  before,  and  he  really  felt  himself  be- 
gin to  doze.  But  finally  there  was  a  lull  in  the 
women's  talk  and  a  momentary  quiet  and  then 
he  heard  footsteps  once  more  at  the  door. 

It  was  Varenka  Petrovna,  and  through  his 
half-closed  eyes  he  saw  that  she  carried  her  hat 
and  other  things  and  guessed  that  she  was  on 
her  way  home.  She  shut  the  door  behind  her 
as  she  came  in  and,  with  simply  an  inquiring 
look  in  his  direction,  passed  on  across  the  floor. 
He  thought  she  was  gone,  but  at  the  outer 
door  she  paused  again  as  if  in  sudden  thought 


194  THE  CHALLENGE 

and  stood  gazing  at  him  irresolutely  with  her 
lips  drawn  in  between  her  teeth.  Then,  with  a 
sudden  look  behind  her,  she  made  up  her  mind 
to  go  to  him  again,  and  tiptoed  over  swiftly 
to  his  bed.  His  eyes  shut  promptly  and  he 
waited  curiously  to  see  what  she  would  do. 
There  was  a  moment's  pause,  when  he  heard 
no  longer  the  rustle  of  her  dress  and  knew  she 
was  standing  by  his  side.  Then  with  a  touch  as 
light  as  thistle-down,  he  felt  her  fingers  laid 
cautiously  on  his  lips. 

The  contact  startled  him  somewhat,  but  if  for 
no  other  reason  than  that  she  might  not  know 
that  he  was  fooling  her,  he  held  himself  reso- 
lutely in  check  and  kept  the  semblance  of  his 
acting  good.  Having  satisfied  herself  that  he 
was  really  asleep  and  that  the  venture  she  de- 
sired could  be  safely  made,  Varenka  Petrovna 
bent  above  him  lightly  till  he  felt  her  warm 
breath  pass  across  his  cheek  and  for  an  instant 
her  lips  lay  tremblingly  on  his. 

' '  Good-by, ' '  she  breathed,  and  the  words  were 
so  low  he  scarcely  heard.  He  forced  himself 
still  to  breathe  regularly  and  slowly,  but  as  she 
raised  herself  again  he  was  conscious  that  a  tell- 
tale color  was  flooding  all  his  neck  and  face. 


VAEENKA  BECOMES  EOMANTIC     195 

She  did  not  notice  it,  however,  for  before  she 
had  time  to  stand  erect  there  was  a  sudden  noise 
in  the  room  and  he  heard  her  give  a  quick  cry  of 
dismay.  His  eyes  came  open  instantly  and  cen- 
tered on  her  face.  She  was  standing  near  him 
still,  with  her  hands  clasped  helplessly  in  front 
of  her  and  her  face  crimsoned  by  a  growing 
flush  of  shame.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  on  some- 
thing beyond  him  which  had  evidently  disturbed 
her  calm  and,  following  her  glance,  he  saw  that 
Peter  Efimovitch  had  unexpectedly  come  in  and 
was  standing  looking  at  them,  just  inside  the 
door. 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  WOOING  OF  MOTKYA 

Though  brought  to  the  result  by  widely  differ- 
ing moods,  the  effect,  on  Varenka  Petrovna  and 
the  two  men  alike,  was  to  hold  them  for  the 
moment  silent  where  they  were.  The  woman's 
eyes  were  fixed  on  her  father's  face  with  the 
intent  watchfulness  of  a  frightened  thing 
brought  unexpectedly  to  bay,  and  her  color  came 
and  went  in  sudden  changes  as  she  ran  the 
gamut  of  her  fears. 

Peter  Efimovitch  made  no  sign,  but  his  glance 
traveled  suspiciously  from  Varenka  Petrovna  to 
the  young  man  and  back  again,  as  if  to  gage 
from  their  confusion  the  measure  of  their  guilt. 
Ivan  Egorovitch,  sure  that  he  had  had  no  pre- 
determined part  in  the  indiscretion  of  the  girl, 
found  within  him  no  consciousness  of  wrong- 
doing and  only  felt  dismay  that  this  retribution 
should  have  come  to  her  for  a  lapse  so  inno- 
cent of  guile. 

196 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        197 

Peter  Efimovitch  was  the  first  to  move.  He 
stepped  forward  into  the  room  and,  looking  at 
Ms  daughter,  motioned  toward  the  doorway 
with  his  hand.  The  girl  understood,  and,  with 
a  glance  of  shame  at  Ivan  Egorovitch,  put  down 
her  head  so  they  should  not  see  her  face  and 
went  swiftly  out.  Peter  Efimovitch  watched  till 
she  was  well  away,  and  then  turned  accusingly 
to  the  young  man. 

"So  you  are  at  your  old  tricks  again!"  he 
said  dryly.  There  was  a  covert  sneer  in  his 
tone,  but  his  upper  lip  trembled  as  he  spoke  and 
Ivan  Egorovitch  guessed  that  behind  his  bitter- 
ness of  tone  was  the  gnawing  fear  of  family 
disgrace.  He  threw  off  the  covers  that  the 
women  had  arranged  about  him  and  sat  up  on 
the  platform's  edge. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch 1"  he  demanded  sharply,  and  there  was  a 
note  of  challenge  in  his  voice.  The  older  man 
did  not  immediately  reply  and,  though  he  con- 
tinued to  look  at  Ivan  Egorovitch  as  steadily 
as  before,  his  emotions  so  overcame  him  that 
he  could  not  trust  himself  to  speak. 

"Why  did  you  do  that?"  he  cried  when  he 
could  again  control  his  voice.  "Why  could  you 


198  THE  CHALLENGE 

not  let  her  go  1 "  He  was  so  unhappy  that  the 
young  man  could  not  but  sympathize  with  his 
distress. 

"I  have  done  nothing,  Peter  Efimovitch, ' '  he 
said  earnestly.  "  There  has  been  nothing  that 
was  wrong  between  Varenka  Petrovna  and  me ! ' ' 
The  old  man's  irritation  increased  to  anger  and 
his  eyes  began  to  blaze. 

"Then  God  help  your  standards/'  he  cried 
fiercely,  "if  what  you  have  done  appears  to 
you  to  be  the  honest  thing ! ' 9  Ivan  Egorovitch 
got  unsteadily  to  his  feet  and  went  to  where 
the  other  stood. 

"You  are  an  old  man,"  he  said  sharply,  "but 
you  shall  not  talk  to  me  like  that !  Now,  what 
is  it  you  think  I  have  done?"  Stirred  even  as 
he  was,  Peter  Efimovitch  found  it  hard  to  put 
his  attack  on  his  daughter's  honor  into  words. 

"You  know  well  enough!"  he  declared  stern- 
ly. '"'It  is  the  old  pursuit  in  the  old  way — 
only  that,  now,  in  listening  to  it,  she  is  no  longer 
an  innocent  girl!" 

"It  is  not  true!"  cried  the  young  man  ear- 
nestly. "No  one  can  say  that  through  word  or 
deed  of  mine  a  smirch  of  any  sort  has  come 
upon  her  name." 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTRYA       199 

"  Why  should  I  need  to  ask,"  responded  Peter 
Efimovitch  bitterly,  "when  the  proof  of  it  comes 
to  me  through  my  own  eyes?" 

"There  was  no  wrong  to-day,"  persisted  the 
young  man  earnestly.  ' '  Varenka  was  innocent 
in  what  she  did,  and,  except  unconsciously,  I 
had  no  part  in  the  thing  at  all. ' '  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch's  jaw  set  obstinately  and  the  corners  of 
his  mouth  went  down. 

"You  are  more  of  a  cur  than  I  thought," 
he  burst  out  savagely,  "and  God  knows  I  had 
a  bad  enough  opinion  of  you  before !  I  suppose 
what  you  mean  is  that  you  were  asleep  and  the 
blame,  if  there  is  any,  rests  on  her!"  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  face  went  white  with  anger,  but  he 
struggled  to  control  himself  that  he  might  make 
better  salvage  of  her  shipwreck  for  the  woman. 

' '  I  was  not  asleep, ' '  he  admitted, ' '  and  in  that 
I  pretended  to  be  so,  I  suppose  I  am  to  blame. 
But  the  thing  I  want  you  to  understand  is  that 
she  believed  fully  that  I  was  asleep  or  she  never 
for  a  moment  would  have  shown  her  heart.  I 
have  a  better  opinion  of  her  than  you,"  he 
added. 

"I  do  not  believe  it!"  cried  the  old  man 
stubbornly. 


200  THE  CHALLENGE 

"  Ask  her  yourself,  then.  Yon  can  easily  find 
ont." 

"I  shall,"  replied  the  old  man  grimly.  "I 
shall  not  rest  until  I  have  the  truth. "  The 
young  man's  face  lighted  and  he  gave  a  little 
nod. 

"That  is  what  I  wish,  too,"  he  said  with 
quiet  eagerness.  ' '  There  is  nothing  that  could 
be  so  good,  either  for  her  or  me.  Be  reasonable, 
Peter  Efimovitch,"  he  went  on  coaxingly. 
"You  must  remember  that  it  was  long  ago  I 
wanted  Varenka  Petrovna  and  I  have  none  of 
that  old  feeling  toward  her  now.  She  is  mar- 
ried and  belongs  to  another  man,  and  I  am  not 
the  sort  to  want  her  unless  I  could  have  her 
entirely  to  myself.  Varenka,  as  you  ought  to 
know,  is  a  good  woman,  and  what  she  did  to-day 
was  only  a  sentimental  gratification  of  her 
recollection  of  what  had  gone  before.  She  had 
no  idea,  I  know,  of  reopening  the  old  relation 
with  me,  and,  for  my  part,  I  am  equally  sure 
that  I  had  no  desire  to  reopen  it  with  her,  be- 
cause I  now  have  an  interest  in  another  girl. ' ' 

"God  help  that  other,  then!"  burst  out  Peter 
Efimovitch  solemnly.  "I  thank  Him  that  she 
is  none  of  mine!"  Ivan  Egorovitch's  breath 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        201 

went  out  with  a  rush  and  he  made  a  plunge  at 
the  older  man.  His  excitement  lent  him 
strength  and,  seizing  Peter  Efimovitch  by  both 
shoulders,  he  shook  him  as  a  dog  might  shake 
a  rat. 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you  any  more!"  he  cried 
excitedly.  "Now,  will  you  listen  civilly  to  what 
I  have  to  say?"  Peter  Efimovitch  caught  his 
assailant  tightly  by  the  wrists  and  struggled  to 
throw  off  the  hold.  But  before  he  could  collect 
his  scattered  wits  and  answer,  the  door  that 
led  into  the  kitchen  opened  suddenly  and 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  came  hurriedly  into  the 
room.  She  stopped  short  when  she  saw  the 
struggling  men  and  looked  with  open  mouth. 

"What  is  this?"  she  cried  sharply.  "Peter 
Efimovitch,  what  are  you  doing  to  my  boy!" 
Both  men  let  go  their  hold  at  the  interruption 
and  Ivan  Egorovitch  turned  to  her  with  an 
apologetic  grin. 

"It  is  nothing,  Tatiana  Vassilievna,"  he  said 
deprecatingly.  "Peter  Efimovitch  and  I  were 
having  a  little  argument  and  I  was  trying  to 
show  him  I  was  right."  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
fixed  her  eyes  on  them  with  growing  disapproval 
in  her  look. 


202  THE  CHALLENGE 

"A  sick  man  and  an  old  man!"  she  cried 
contemptuously.  "And  when  they  get  together 
nothing  will  do  but  they  must  come  to  blows !  ' ' 
Ivan  Egorovitch  put  down  his  face  diffidently 
and  went  over  to  her. 

"I  am  sorry,  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  that  I  have 
made  trouble  in  your  house.  If  you  will  give 
me  my  hat  I  will  go  away  at  once. ' '  The  wom- 
an looked  doubtfully  from  him  to  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch  as  if  willing  to  learn  more  before  passing 
judgment  in  the  case,  but  after  a  moment  she 
made  up  her  mind  and  without  further  query 
did  as  he  had  asked.  He  took  the  hat  with  a 
smile  of  propitiatory  humility,  and  said  to  her 
under  his  breath, 

' '  Talk  with  Peter  Efimovitch  after  I  am  gone. 
I  will  come  back  this  afternoon  and  tell  you 
about  the  affair."  When  he  was  gone,  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  turned  to  his  antagonist  with  de- 
termination in  her  eye. 

"Now,"  she  said  with  emphasis,  "why  is  it 
that  you  can  never  learn  to  be  decently  civil 
to  that  boy!"  The  old  man  was  still  panting 
from  the  struggle  he  had  gone  through  and  it 
did  not  help  his  composure  to  be  brought  thus 
to  book. 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        203 

"  Civil  be  damned  !"  he  snarled  angrily. 
"The  man  is  a  snake  and  I  have  no  place  for 
him  except  under  my  foot!" 

"You  ought  to  be  ashamed,  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch,"  said  Tatiana  Vassilievna  indignantly. 
"The  lad  is  as  good  a  boy  as  you  could  find  this 
side  of  the  sea." 

"Let  him  keep  clear  of  my  girl,  then,"  he 
declared  surlily,  "and  I  will  never  raise  the 
question  of  his  worth!"  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
put  her  knuckles  on  her  hips  and  the  skin  on 
her  cheeks  grew  tighter  with  the  scorn  that  she 
held  in. 

"Since  God  began  you  a  fool,  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch,"  she  said  caustically,  "I  suppose  it  is  no 
use  for  a  woman  to  try  to  help  it  now.  But 
why  you  should  waste  your  time  working  to 
keep  those  two  young  things  apart  is  beyond  the 
comprehension  of  my  mind.  Where  in  all  Eus- 
sia  could  you  find  a  more  likely  man  to  'kiss 
her  under  the  crown'?"  Peter  Efimovitch's 
lip  lifted  maliciously 

"How  many  lovers  do  you  think  a  woman 
ought  to  have  at  one  time!"  he  demanded  with 
a  sneer. 

"As  many  as  she  likes,"  responded  Tatiana 


204  THE  CHALLENGE 

Vassilievna  promptly,  "provided  she  settles  on 
one  only  in  the  end." 

"Well,  I  do  not,"  declared  the  old  man  with 
conviction.  "When  a  woman  marries  one  man 
he  ought  to  be  enough!"  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
looked  at  him  with  amazement  in  her  face. 

"What  are  you  talking  about,  anyway?"  she 
demanded  breathlessly. 

"I  am  talking  about  Varenka  and  her  rela- 
tion to  this  man."  Tatiana  Vassilievna  was  so 
shocked  by  the  surprise,  that  she  stood  look- 
ing at  him  open-mouthed  and  crossed  herself 
vigorously  before  she  spoke,  as  a  protection 
against  the  evil  thought. 

"Varenka!"  she  cried  incredulously.  "It  is 
not  Varenka,  it  is  Motrya  that  he  wants ! ' ' 

"You  know  nothing  about  it,"  shouted  the  old 
man  triumphantly.  "If  it  is  not  Varenka,  why 
did  I  find  them  kissing  each  other  here  in  this 
very  room  ? ' ' 

"I  do  not  believe  you  did.  When  was  it?" 
she  answered  bluntly. 

"Just  now,  when  I  came  in." 

"And  he  was  kissing  her?" 

6  '  No,  he  was  lying  down  and  she  was  bending 
over  him  with  her  lips  touching  his !"  Tatiana 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA       205 

Vassilievna 's  practical  mind  jumped  instinct- 
ively to  the  truth. 

"Nu!"  she  said  in  cheerful  contradiction. 
"If  Varenka  Petrovna  did  it  she  thought  he  was 
asleep. "  The  old  man  shook  his  head. 

"Though  that  be  so,"  he  said  stubbornly, 
"she  ought  not  to  have  done  it  even  then." 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  heard  him  to  the  end  and 
her  face  lighted  with  a  smile. 

"Why,  that  is  no  crime,"  she  declared  breez- 
ily. "If  I  had  gone  in  and  found  him  there 
asleep,  I  "am  not  sure  but  I  should  have  been 
kissing  him  myself ! ' '  Peter  Efimovitch  had  no 
answer  ready  for  this  flank  attack  and  contented 
himself  with  snorting  vigorously.  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  was  well  satisfied  with  her  advan- 
tage and  proceeded  at  once  to  a  new  attack. 

"You  are  stretching  the  wrong  string,  Peter 
Efimovitch,"  she  said  warningly.  "You  will 
find  no  break  in  Varenka  Petrovna,  no  matter 
how  hard  you  pull.  Why,  man,  where  are  your 
eyes?"  she  cried  with  sudden  change  of  front. 
"If  you  had  half  looked  you  would  have  seen 
that  he  sticks  as  closely  to  Motrya  as  a  shadow 
to  a  duck.  He  has  no  thought  for  any  other 
woman  in  the  world ! ' ' 


206  THE  CHALLENGE 

There  came  to  Peter  Efimovitch  a  sudden 
recollection  of  the  young  man's  justification  of 
a  similar  sort  and,  like  a  flash,  the  familiar  rela- 
tions he  had  blindly  observed  between  the  two 
took  on  a  new  and  astonishing  significance.  The 
knowledge,  however,  brought  little  either  of 
comfort  or  relief.  It  was  no  advantage  that 
Ivan  Egorovitch  had  transferred  his  affections 
from  one  to  the  other  of  his  brood. 

"I  will  not  have  it,"  he  protested  with  an 
added  sense  of  wrong.  "Let  him  take  his  ac- 
cursed wooing  somewhere  else!"  He  pressed 
the  palms  of  his  hands  together  nervously  and 
began  walking  feverishly  up  and  down.  Tatiana 

Vassilievna  watched  him  with  increased  con- 

• 

tent. 

"Do  not  try  to  bite  your  elbow,  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch," she  advised  curtly.  "It  can  not  be  done 
even  if  it  is  near  your  face.  Be  reasonable  and 
let  the  young  things  have  the  comfort  of  their 
lives."  He  gave  her  a  look  so  full  of  malevo- 
lent bitterness  that  she  took  counsel  of  her  dis- 
cretion and  left  him  to  himself.  His  anger 
remained  as  a  possession  and  he  continued  to 
walk  the  floor  like  a  wild  beast,  until  she  called 
him  to  his  midday  meal. 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        207 

He  came  mechanically,  but  was  too  gloomy 
and  absorbed  to  eat.  The  food  was  sawdust  to 
him,  and,  after  a  decent  pretense,  he  got  up 
from  the  table  and,  without  his  usual  pipe,  went 
back  moodily  to  his  work.  The  sense  of  his 
defeat  was  strong  in  him  and  its  taste  was 
not  the  less  bitter  that  it  had  been  through  his 
own  foolish  blindness  that  the  young  man's 
later  passion  had  found  chance  to  gather 
strength. 

That  there  should  be  an  end  at  once  to  the 
entanglement  became  an  instant  predication  in 
his  mind.  He  searched  his  cunning,  not  only 
for  means  to  bring  the  association  to  an  end, 
but  further,  for  anything  that  might  prove  dis- 
concerting to  the  young  man  by  himself.  The 
safest  way  out  lay  in  bringing  about  an  instant 
separation  of  the  pair,  and,  if  he  did  not  send 
the  girl  away,  steps,  he  decided,  must  be  taken 
to  have  the  young  man  removed.  In  this  mood 
it  was  a  relief  to  find  some  one  with  whom  he 
could  agree,  and  it  was  therefore  with  a  real 
sense  of  pleasure,  that,  arriving  at  the  ware- 
house, he  came  unexpectedly  on  the  priest. 

Simeon  Gvosdef  had  recovered  sufficiently  to 
drag  himself  out  into  the  sun,  and  sat,  a 


208  THE  CHALLENGE 

shrunken  heap,  beside  the  warehouse  door.  He 
made  no  sign  of  recognition  as  Peter  Efimovitch 
approached,  but  kept  his  eyes  bent  furtively 
on  the  ground.  The  latter  felt  no  thrill  of 
sympathy  over  the  priest's  forlorn  estate,  but 
the  thought  that  he,  too,  had  suffered  at  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  hands  weighed  with  him,  so  that 
he  stopped  and  looked  curiously  at  the  sitting 
man. 

"So  he  did  not  drown  you  after  all !"  he  said 
in  his  rasping  voice.  Simeon  Gvosdef  raised 
his  head  slowly  and  looked  at  his  interlocutor 
with  suspicious  eyes. 

"He  could  not  drown  me,"  he  said  quietly. 
"God  has  put  me  here  to  carry  out  a  mission, 
and  until  that  is  fulfilled,  he  would  not  be  al- 
lowed. It  was  not  my  life  the  young  man  sought, 
when  he  overturned  the  boat."  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch 's  lips  shut  tight  together  and,  in  his  sur- 
prise, he  blew  softly  through  his  nose. 

"Well,"  he  said  dryly,  "it  is  a  good  thing 
to  have  faith!  But  the  man  must  have  had 
some  motive  in  turning  you  into  the  sea." 

"Yes,"  responded  the  priest  softly,  "there 
was  a  motive  without  doubt."  He  broke  off  a 
splinter  from  a  beam  beside  him  and  began 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTRYA        209 

slowly  drawing  scratches  with  it  in  the  ground 
at  his  side. 

"He  did  not  think  I  would  know  it,"  he  said 
without  looking  up.  "It  was  not  my  life  he 
desired,  but  the  bell." 

"The  bell!" 

"Yes,  the  bell.  I  had  it  hanging  round  my 
neck." 

"But  why  should  he  so  want  the  bell?"  asked 
Peter  Efimovitch  in  astonishment. 

"It  was  not  for  himself,  but  for  his  master — 
that  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  might  be  less  afraid. 
The  lieutenant  set  him  to  steal  it  from  me  long 
before." 

"And  it  is  gone?"  asked  Peter  Efimovitch 
with  growing  interest. 

"Yes,  since  the  time  I  was  in  the  boat." 
Peter  Efimovitch  realized  that  under  the  cir- 
cumstances its  disappearance  was  probably  one 
of  simple  loss,  but  he  made  no  sign  to  that 
effect,  in  that  he  saw  in  the  incident  a  chance 
to  do  to  Ivan  Egorovitch  an  unexpected  harm. 

"This  is  a  serious  matter,"  he  said  gravely. 
"Why  do  you  not  make  the  charge  and  ask  for 
his  arrest?" 

"I  have  thought  of  it,"  replied  the  other  list- 


210  THE  CHALLENGE 

lessly,  "but  what  would  be  the  use?  It  is  be- 
fore Mikhail  Etolin  that  he  would  have  to  bo 
tried/' 

"But  the  bell  was  church  property  and  its 
stealing  was  an  offense  against  God  as  well  as 
you.  The  lieutenant  would  not  dare  to  ig- 
nore the  charge  if  it  were  made."  The  priest 
considered  the  matter  silently  for  a  moment  and 
then  shook  his  head. 

"No,"  he  said,  "I  will  wait  till  he  dies  and 
there  is  another  judge. "  Peter  Efimovitch  felt 
an  uncomfortable  chill  along  his  spine  at  the 
other's  air  of  conviction. 

"Will  it  then  be  so  soon?"  he  asked  huskily. 

"Yes,  soon  enough.  I  shall  not  have  long 
to  wait."  But  waiting  of  any  sort  was  not  a 
part  of  Peter  Efimovitch 's  plan,  as  long  as  he 
saw  a  way  to  make  things  go. 

"There  would  be  no  delay  at  all,"  he  sug- 
gested, "if  it  were  taken  to  another  judge. 
Shelikof  's  title  to  the  company  is  so  infirm  just 
now  that  he  would  go  far  before  he  would  let 
it  be  said  in  Russia  that  an  officer  of  his  had 
failed  to  punish  a  crime  against  the  Church." 
The  priest  sighed  hopelessly  and  settled  back 
into  his  place. 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTBYA        211 

"I  have  no  influence, "  he  said,  "and  Eussia 
is  too  far  away." 

"But  why  not  Yakutat?  That  is  only  two 
days."  The  priest's  eyes  lighted  with  sudden 
interest  and  he  sat  gradually  upright. 

"I  might  write  and  see,"  he  said  under  his 
breath.  "How  long  is  it  before  a  letter  could 
be  sent  out?" 

"The  regular  mail  went  out  last  week,  but  a 
special  messenger  starts  to-morrow  morning 
with  an  unexpected  requisition  for  supplies.  I 
am  making  out  the  list  of  them  to-day. ' '  Simeon 
Gvosdef  's  color  rose  and  his  hands  began  to 
tremble  so  he  could  scarcely  hold  them  still. 

"I  will  do  it!"  he  cried  eagerly.  "I  will 
make  the  charge  and,  if  God  wills  it,  there  will 
be  the  punishment  for  Ivan  Egorovitch  that  he 
deserves."  Peter  Efimovitch's  face  beamed 
with  his  elation  and  he  patted  Simeon  Gvosdef 
on  the  arm. 

"Good!"  he  said.  "Then  there  will  be  no 
delay.  Write  out  the  packet  to-day  and  bring 
it  to  me  here  and  I  will  see  that  it  goes  to  the 
messenger  with  our  despatch." 

When  Ivan  Egorovitch  went  out  from  the 
company  of  Peter  Efimovitch  and  Zakar  Med- 


212  THE  CHALLENGE 

vedef  's  wife,  he  grinned  to  himself,  almost  be- 
fore he  was  alone.  Yet  there  was  an  element  of 
ruefulness  behind  the  humor,  which  served  to 
keep  him  from  more  boisterous  mirth.  He 
could  laugh  at  the  situation  and  even  at  the 
plight  in  which  he  had  been  put.  But  he  could 
not  but  be  sorry  that  he  had  stirred  again  the 
fire  of  Peter  Efimovitch's  enmity,  and,  espe- 
cially, that  through  him,  Varenka  Petrovna 
should  have  come  to  shame. 

At  thought  of  her,  he  turned  and  looked 
back  intently  at  the  place  where  she  was  housed. 
There  was  no  stir  about  the  cottage  to  show 
that  any  one  was  there,  and  he  began  to  wonder 
if  she  had  told  Motrya  Petrovna  of  the  hap- 
penings of  the  day,  and,  if  so,  what  the  younger 
girl  had  said.  It  took  only  a  moment's  thought, 
however,  to  convince  him  that  the  confidence 
had  not  been  given  and  that  he  had  no  occasion 
for  alarm.  Varenka  Petrovna  had  no  special 
yearning  for  reproach  and  it  was  not  likely  that, 
unpressed,  she  would  give  avoidable  publicity 
to  her  disgrace. 

If  Motrya  Petrovna  came  to  know  the  truth, 
it  would  not  be  through  her  sister's  confidence, 
but  because  her  father  had  told  her  with  an 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTKYA       213 

eye  to  hurt  his  suit.  It  behooved  him,  there- 
fore, to  see  Motrya  Petrovna  before  the  dis- 
closure was  brought  untimely  to  her  ears,  and 
forestall  the  trouble  by  telling  her  himself. 

He  could  scarcely  eat  his  dinner  through  im- 
patience for  his  plan,  and,  the  meal  once  done, 
he  took  his  hat  again  and  sallied  out  into  the 
street.  He  had  but  one  thought — to  see  Motrya 
Petrovna  and  talk  with  her  alone — but  how  that 
purpose  was  to  be  accomplished  was  yet  by  no 
means  certain  in  his  mind. 

But  for  her  sake  and  his  own,  he  did  not 
wish  to  come  on  Varenka  Petrovna  again 
until  she  had  time  to  recover  from  her  shame. 
And  with  her  at  hand,  he  knew  that  he  could  not 
open  his  heart  to  the  younger  sister  as  he  would. 
He  decided,  finally,  to  go  again  to  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  and  throw  himself  on  her  mercy  to 
help  him  with  his  plan.  He  knew  that  by  this 
time  Peter  Efimovitch  would  be  gone  again  to 
work  and  that  the  chance  was  good  for  seeing 
her  alone. 

He  found  her,  as  usual,  busy  with  her  work, 
but  when  he  came  in,  she  spared  the  time  to 
stop  and  look  at  him.  She  did  not  speak,  but 
stood  with  hands  engaged,  and  stared  and  con- 


214  THE  CHALLENGE 

tinned  to  stare  at  him  with  her  head  turned 
quizzically  on  one  side. 

"Do  not  look  at  me  like  that,  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna.  You  make  me  nervous!"  he  said  fin- 
ally. But  Tatiana  VassiHevna  was  not  so  to  be 
beguiled. 

"What  are  you  here  for  again?"  she  said 
[with  as  stern  a  pretense  of  disapprobation  as 
she  could  muster  for  the  time. 

"To  make  confession  and  lay  claim  to  the 
reward,"  declared  the  young  man  gaily.  He 
came  up  close  to  her  and  stood  with  his  hat  held 
in  front  of  him  with  both  hands. 

"Tell  me  quick!"  he  said  breathlessly. 
"Was  he  very  fierce?"  Tatiana  Vassilievna's 
eyes  began  to  twinkle,  and  her  face  relaxed. 

"Like  a  bear!"  she  said  with  strong  convic- 
tion. "He  said  you  were  a  snake!" 

"And  did  he  tell  you  how  I  was  breaking  up 
his  home?" 

"Indeed  he  did,  in  words  that  must  have 
burned  his  mouth." 

"That  is  why  I  shook  him,"  interposed  the 
young  man  apologetically.  "He  was  saying 
that  before  I  went  away." 

"Well,  he  had  no  better  opinion  of  you  after 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTRYA        215 

you  were  gone.  It  was  hard  work  to  cool  him 
down. ' ' 

"How  did  you  do  it?"  demanded  the  young 
man  delightedly. 

"I  told  him  that  he  was  a  fool — that  it  was 
not  Varenka  at  all,  but  Motrya,  with  whom  you 
were  in  love."  The  young  man's  face  sobered 
for  the  moment  and  he  involuntarily  caught  his 
breath. 

"Saint  Basil  help  us!"  he  gasped.  "And 
what  did  he  say  to  that?" 

"He  intimated  that  it  was  sometimes  best  not 
to  come  in  to  dinner  till  you  had  been  invited  to 
sit  down."  Ivan  Egorovitch  laughed,  but  Ta- 
tiana  Vassilievna  could  see  that  his  gaiety  was 
less  spontaneous  than  before. 

"I  might  have  known  he  would  oppose  it," 
he  said  thoughtfully.  "I  wonder  if  he  has  told 
Motrya  what  occurred." 

"No.  He  went  back  to  his  work  after  dinner 
without  going  over  to  the  other  house."  Ivan 
Egorovitch 's  heart  jumped,  and  he  seized  his 
companion  with  both  hands. 

"Tatiana  Vassilievna,"  he  said  imploringly, 
"I  must  see  Motrya  Petrovna  before  Peter 
Efimovitch  comes  home  to-night.  Could  you 


216  THE  CHALLENGE 

not  get  her  over  here  for  me  so  that  I  could  talk 
to  her  alone?"  Tatiana  Vassilievna's  face 
made  pretense  of  taking  on  its  old  mask  of  hard- 
ness, and  she  solemnly  shook  her  head. 

"It  is  not  possible, "  she  said  gravely. 

"Why  not?" 

"I  am  sure  she  is  not  able  to  come  out." 

i '  Then  bring  Varenka  Petrovna  over  here  so 
that  I  can  see  Motrya  there. ' ' 

"Varenka  Petrovna,"  went  on  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  pitilessly,  "will  hardly  come  over  after 
what  happened  here  to-day!"  The  young  man 
pressed  her  hands  warmly  and  bent  down  so 
that  he  could  look  more  closely  into  her  eyes. 

"You  will  help  me,  will  you  not,  Tatiana?"  he 
said  appealingly.  "You  do  not  want  to  see  me 
suffer  just  because  I  am  in  love!"  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  pushed  him  from  her  and  stretched 
back  her  head  as  if  to  hold  herself  further  away. 

"It  is  the  way  with  all  lovers,"  she  said  hope- 
lessly. "If  you  will  be  a  mushroom,  you  must 
go  into  the  basket  like  the  rest!" 

"But,  Tatiana,  could  you  not  get  Varenka  to 
go  somewhere  else?" 

"No,"  she  said,  "because  she  is  already 
gone.  I  saw  her  climbing  the  hill  toward  where 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        217 

her  husband  is  at  work."  The  young  man 
fairly  gasped  in  his  surprise. 

' <  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  ? ' '  he  said  reproach- 
fully. ' '  Then  Motrya  is  alone  I ' ' 

"'Yes — unless  you  or  some  one  else  intrudes 
on  her. ' ' 

"May  an  angel  pass  and  brush  you  with  its 
wings ! ' '  cried  the  young  man  joyously.  He  put 
both  his  arms  around  Tatiana  Vassilievna  's 
shoulders  and  kissed  her  heartily  on  either 
cheek.  She  pushed  him  away  from  her  and  mo- 
tioned with  her  hands. 

"Oh,  go!"  she  cried.  "If  you  are  not  more 
careful,  Zakar  Alexievitch,  too,  will  be  charging 
you  with  meddling  with  his  peace. ' '  But  Ivan 
Egorovitch  scarcely  heard  the  words.  Almost 
before  she  spoke,  he  was  across  the  room  and, 
with  a  wave  of  the  hand,  he  went  lightly  out 
through  the  door  on  his  way  to  the  other  house. 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  gazed  after  him  fondly, 
with  her  hands  on  her  hips.  When  he  was  out 
of  sight,  she  threw  back  her  head  and  let  her 
mouth  open  in  a  long,  silent  laugh.  Then  with 
a  sigh  and  a  shrug  of  resignation  to  events,  she 
turned  about  and  went  happily  back  to  her  work. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  Js  buoyancy  of  spirit  carried 


218  THE  CHALLENGE 

him  across  the  intervening  space  between  the 
houses  as  jauntily  as  if  he  trod  on  air.  The 
door  was  shut,  but  he  knocked  imperiously  and 
scarcely  found  the  patience  to  await  the  answer 
from  within.  When  it  came  he  raised  the  latch 
without  delay  and  entering,  stood  looking 
eagerly  around. 

The  girl  he  had  come  to  see  sat  on  the  edge 
of  the  platform  along  the  inner  wall  and  did  not 
rise  at  his  approach.  She  had  improvised  a 
couch  with  pillows  and  the  covers  from  the  beds 
and,  propped  against  these,  she  waited  for  him 
with  a  smile  on  her  face.  He  went  at  once  to 
where  she  sat  and  bent  with  tenderness  above 
the  hand  she  held  out. 

"I  knew  you  would  come,"  she  said  softly, 
and  lifted  her  eyes  to  his.  He  saw  that  she  was 
gowned  in  some  loose  stuff  of  soft  red  and  that 
her  hair  was  not  dressed  as  usual,  but  braided 
and  caught  behind  her  neck.  But  besides  these 
differences,  he  was  aware  that  there  was  a 
change  in  her  that  ran  in  some  subtle  way  to 
every  fiber  of  her  being.  There  was  a  new  droop 
of  her  eyelids  as  she  met  his  glance,  and  a 
scarcely  perceptible  flutter  of  her  breath.  She 
was  the  same  and  yet  not  the  same,  and  he 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        219 

realized  that  by  some  miracle  of  the  night — in 
the  time  since  he  had  seen  her  last — her  girlish- 
ness  had  expanded  and  the  flower  of  her  con- 
scious womanhood  come  suddenly  to  bloom. 

"How  did  you  know  that  I  would  come?"  he 
said  after  a  little  pause.  Her  glance  wavered 
under  his  ardent  look  and  her  eyelids  dropped 
suddenly  down.  Then,  without  a  word,  she 
raised  her  eyes  to  his  again,  and  her  lips  parted 
in  a  slow,  meaning  smile.  The  young  man  felt 
his  pulse  stir  as  he  saw  it  and  the  intoxication 
of  success  ran  over  him  like  fire. 

"Ah,  you  have  come  to  know!"  he  cried  with 
swift  conviction,  and  would  have  taken  her  in 
his  arms.  But  she  held  him  from  her  and  let 
herself  sink  back  against  the  pillows,  the  blood 
rising  redly  in  her  cheeks. 

"Yes,  I  havei  come  to  know,"  she  whispered 
softly.  She  bent  down  her  head  and  bit  her 
lips,  for  the  confession  was  yet  so  new  to  her 
it  still  seemed  over-bold.  The  young  man  did 
not  let  her  go  an  instant  from  his  glance  and, 
after  a  moment,  with  a  quiet  air  of  ownership, 
he  sat  down  by  her  side. 

His  thoughts  went  whirling  dizzily  in  a  flood 
of  blissful  visions,  and  for  the  time  he  sought 


220  THE  CHALLENGE 

no  more  than  to  be  near  her  and  know  that  he 
had  her  heart.  With  the  new  relation,  a  sudden 
shyness  fell  on  them  both  and  they  leaned 
apart  from  each  other  with  a  hitherto  unknown 
reserve.  Ivan  Egorovitch  sought  in  vain  for 
his  usual  flow  of  speech  and  the  girl,  finding  her- 
self so  near  him,  remembered  the  innocent  fa- 
miliarities, which  for  years  had  been  current 
between  them,  with  a  sudden  panic  at  the  heart. 
This,  however,  Ivan  Egorovitch  found  the 
courage  for — he  took  up  her  hand  and  held  it 
caressingly  against  his  face. 

"When  did  it  come?"  he  asked,  speaking  low, 
as  if  afraid  that  some  one  else  might  hear. 

"It  was  last  night  when  you  were  in  the  sea,'' 
she  said  with  some  constraint.  "It  came  to  me 
all  at  once  what  it  would  be  if  you  should  not 
come  back."  Gathering  courage,  he  drew  her 
forward  till  her  hair  was  almost  against  his 
face. 

' '  Then  you  are  sure  f ' '  he  cried.  '  '  And  after 
this  there  will  be  no  mistake  ? ' ' 

"So  sure,"  she  said,  "that  it  seems  now  that 
it  could  never  have  been  a  different  way."  He 
drew  her  more  closely  to  him,  but  she  pushed 
him  back. 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        221 

' l  Wait ! "  she  said  breathlessly.  ' '  Let  me — ' ' 
He  yielded  to  her  wish  and,  taking  his  face  be- 
tween her  hands,  she  drew  it  down  till  it  was  al- 
most against  hers.  Then  with  a  touch  as  light 
as  air,  her  lips  brushed  swiftly  across  his  fore- 
head and  settled  for  an  instant  on  his  eyes. 

"I  have  been  thinking  I  would  do  that,"  she 
said  very  softly,  and  hid  her  face  bashfully 
against  his  sleeve.  He  gathered  her  to  him  till 
he  could  feel  the  beat  of  her  heart  against  his 
breast. 

"And  now  that  you  have  done  it,"  he  whis- 
pered, ' i  do  you  not  find  it  sweet ! ' '  For  answer 
she  clung  to  him  with  sudden  closeness,  and 
nodded  without  lifting  up  her  head. 

"It  was  a  consecration,"  she  said  solemnly. 
"I  wanted  it  first  that  way." 

"But  now — "'he  persisted.  "When  may  I 
have  the  rest?" 

"When  you  like,"  she  answered  under  her 
breath,  and  their  lips  met  in  their  first  lovers' 
kiss.  Her  joy  in  surrender  was  so  complete 
that  Ivan  Egorovitch  felt  a  pang  whenever  he 
thought  of  what  he  had  come  primarily  to  tell. 
He  tried  to  screw  his  courage  to  the  sticking- 
point,  but  each  time  failed  to  find  the  heart  to 


222  THE  CHALLENGE 

destroy  in  smallest  part  the  pretty  fabric  of  her 
trust. 

"You  are  sure  of  yourself,"  he  said  finally. 
* '  How  do  you  know  that  you  are  sure  of  me  1 ' ' 
She  smiled  at  him  without  a  waver  of  suspicion 
in  her  eyes. 

"Why  should  my  trust  be  less  than  yours?" 
she  said  steadily.  "I  know  that  you  believe 
in  me." 

"But,"  said  the  young  man  soberly,  "this  is 
the  only  time  you  have  been  in  love."  There 
was  a  shade  of  seriousness  in  his  tone  and  Mo- 
trya  Petrovna  responded  to  it.  She  drew  back 
a  little  and  looked  at  him  with  an  air  of  wonder- 
ing search. 

6 1  Do  you  mean,  Ivan,  that  you  have  something 
to  tell  me  that  I  ought  to  know?" 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "if  I  could  find  the  way  to 
tell  it  to  you  now. ' '  She  watched  him  narrowly 
while  her  mind  went  over  the  evil  possibilities 
of  which  she  was  aware. 

"Is  it  about  Varenka?"  she  asked  suddenly, 
and  felt  her  heart-beat  quicken  as  she  awaited 
his  reply. 

"  Yes, "  he  admitted.    "  It  is  about  her. ' ' 

"And  there  is  nothing  else?" 


THE  WOOING  OF  MOTEYA        223 

"No,  outside  of  that,  my  record  sheet  is 
clear. ' ' 

"Then  I  will  not  hear  it,"  she  decided  posi- 
tively. "I  have  seen  you  with  her  and  I  am  not 
afraid. ' ' 

"God  bless  you!"  he  cried  involuntarily. 
"You  are  better  to  me  than  I  deserve." 

"Perhaps  better  than  you  have  deserved  be- 
fore, ' '  she  answered  gently, ' '  but  not  than  what 
you  will  deserve  from  this  time  on." 

"Then,"  he  said,  "your  faith  is  strong 
enough  to  believe  in  me  henceforward,  no  matter 
what  you  hear  1 ' ' 

"I  love  you,"  she  answered  simply,  "and  I 
would  not  believe  evil  of  you  except  from  your 
own  mouth." 

There  was  a  cautious  tap  at  the  door  and  Ta- 
tiana  Vassilievna  put  in  her  head. 

"I  am  coming  in,"  she  said  warningly.  "I 
have  been  doubtful  this  whole  hour  whether  you 
two  young  things  should  be  left  alone."  The 
lovers  sat  more  decorously  apart,  but  Ivan 
Egorovitch  still  held  stoutly  to  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna's  hand. 

"  It  is  all  right,  Tatiana  Vassilievna, ' '  he  cried 
joyously.  "I  knew  it  would  be  if  you  would  let 


224  THE  CHALLENGE 

me  see  her  alone !"  The  girl's  eyes  dropped 
shyly  at  the  unexpected  announcement  and  Ta- 
tiana  Vassilievna  came  promptly  over  to  her 
and  gathered  her  in  her  arms. 

"That  is  good!"  she  declared  with  satisfac- 
tion. "I  am  glad  that  it  is  so.  He  does  not 
deserve  to  have  you,  but  somehow  he  has  fingers 
for  milking  favors  from  the  Lord  that  the  rest 
of  us  could  never  coax  Him  to  give  down.  I 
will  help  you  all  I  can  with  your  father  and  the 
rest,  and — when  you  are  married — "  she  added, 
bending  down  so  that  she  whispered  in  the 
other's  ear,  "I  will  myself  see  that  the  cart- 
wheel is  forthcoming  to  set  up  for  the  stork." 
The  girl  flushed  furiously  and  bent  down  her 
head;  and  Tatiana  Vassilievna  turned  to  the 
young  man  and  beckoned  with  her  hand. 

' '  You  had  better  go  now, ' '  she  said.  ' '  I  came 
in)  to  tell  you  that  it  is  almost  six  o'clock,  and 
that  Os sip  and  Varenka  are  coming  down  the 
hill." 


CHAPTER  X 

PETEE  LAYS  A  PLOT 

The  afternoon  had  been  sultry  and  oppres- 
sive. The  sky  was  clear  at  dawn,  but  the  clouds 
had  risen  steadily  all  day  and  over  the  high 
land  to  the  east  there  had  been  for  some  time 
premonitory  rumblings  of  a  storm  among  the 
trees.  Beyond  this,  it  was  absolutely  still,  but 
as  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  out  of  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna's  house  there  was  a  rustle  of  nearer 
branches  and  a  sudden  wind  went  by  that  sent 
little  puffs  of  dust  running  all  across  the  slope. 
Then  it  was  still  again  until,  here  and  there, 
with  distinct  splashings,  great  single  drops  of 
rain  began  to  fall. 

The  young  man  stopped  and  looked  dubiously 
up  at  the  sky.  He  pulled  up  his  collar  so  that 
it  would  protect  his  neck,  and,  in  the  delay, 
caught  sight,  not  only  of  Varenka  Petrovna  and 
her  husband,  but  also  of  Peter  Efimovitch  as  he 
returned  home  from  his  work. 

225 


226  THE  CHALLENGE 

The  old  man  was  eager  to  arrive  before  the 
breaking  of  the  storm  and  was  walking  swiftly, 
with  his  whole  thought  bent  on  his  desire.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  saluted  him  as  he  passed,  but  Peter 
Efimovitch  vouchsafed  no  answer  further  than 
a  scowl.  The  finding  of  the  young  man  at  this 
place  so  far  impressed  itself  on  him,  however, 
that  after  he  had  passed,  he  stopped  short  and 
looked  back  at  him  and  then  around  suspiciously 
at  the  house  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  just  left.  It 
needed  only  the  discovery  of  his  older  daughter 
with  her  husband  in  the  distance  coming  home, 
to  make  it  plain  to  him  that  the  young  man  had 
stolen  a  march  on  him  while  he  was  away  and 
had  obtained  an  interview  with  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna  alone. 

With  the  common  parental  instinct,  he  quick- 
ened his  pace  as  if  even  yet,  by  hurry,  the  loss 
might  be  retrieved.  But  more  than  this,  the 
sense  of  bitterness  and  anger  began  to  seethe 
and  boil  within  him  and  stir  him  to  decisive 
action.  Varenka  and  her  husband,  however, 
arrived  almost  as  he  crossed  the  sill,  so  his  de- 
sired opportunity  of  questioning  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna  was  of  necessity  deferred. 

He  watched  her  closely,  however,  in  the  inter- 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  227 

val  before  he  was  called  for  supper  to  the  other 
house.  She  seemed  to  have  recovered  entirely 
from  her  indisposition  and  was  intensely,  al- 
most hilariously,  gay.  Her  cheeks  were  bright 
with  color  and  her  eyes  sparkled  with  anima- 
tion as  she  talked. 

Varenka  Petrovna,  on  the  contrary,  was  si- 
lent and  depressed,  and  when  her  eyes  met  her 
father's,  they  turned  aside  with  the  frightened 
look  which  they  had  shown  when  she  became 
conscious  that  he  had  been  a  witness  to  her  in- 
discretion with  Ivan  Egorovitch  earlier  in  the 
day.  Had  she  been  less  reticent  and  absorbed, 
it  is  probable  that  Motrya  Petrovna  would  have 
let  out  to  her  her  secret,  for  her  heart  was  so 
full  of  it  that  it  trembled  constantly  on  her 
tongue.  But  the  older  sister  shrank  from  an 
exchange  of  confidences  and  kept  her  husband 
by  her  so  that  no  chance  of  them  should  occur. 

When  Peter  Efimovitch  returned  from  his 
meal,  Ossip  Pavelovitch  and  his  wife  were  busy 
in  the  house  and  Motrya  Petrovna  sat  by  herself 
in  the  dusk,  on  a  bench,  outside  the  door.  He 
seated  himself  absently  beside  her  and,  taking  out 
his  pipe,  filled  it  and  settled  himself  to  smoke. 

The  girl  smiled  up  at  him  affectionately  as  he 


228  THE  CHALLENGE 

took  his  place,  and  put  out  her  hand  so  that  it 
rested  on  his  knee.  But  she  was  so  wrapped 
up  in  her  dreaming  that  she  did  not  care  to  talk, 
and  they  sat  in  silence  for  some  moments  while 
Peter  Efimovitch  considered  what  he  would 
better  do. 

The  little  shower  had  passed  and  the  air  was 
deliciously  fresh  and  cool.  The  sun  had  long 
been  down,  but  the  twilight  was  still  strong 
enough  so  that  he  could  see  clearly  his  daugh- 
ter 's  face.  It  was  a  more  difficult  thing  than 
he  had  deemed  it,  to  come  by  question  to  the 
understanding  he  desired,  and  before  he  was 
ready  to  begin  the  girl  herself  spoke  out. 

"Simeon  Gvosdef  must  be  still  quite  ill,"  she 
said  suddenly.  "It  is  long  past  six  and  he  has 
not  yet  rung  his  bell." 

"He  will  not  ring  it,"  said  the  old  man  sig- 
nificantly. "  It  is  gone. ' ' 

"Gone?"  she  echoed  with  a  mild  surprise. 
Then,  as  the  effect  of  its  being  silenced  im- 
pressed itself  on  her  mind,  she  added  thought- 
fully: 

"I  do  not  believe  that  Mikhail  Sergeievitch 
will  be  sorry  that  it  is  so." 

"There  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  replied  Peter 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  229 

Efimovitch  dryly,  "  for  it  was  he  who  set  Ivan 
Egorovitch  to  take  the  bell  away."  The  girl's 
interest  was  roused  at  once  by  the  mention  of 
her  lover's  name. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  demanded  with 
renewed  attention.  "What  has  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch done?" 

"I  do  not  know,  myself,"  said  the  old  man 
cautiously,  "but  Simeon  Gvosdef  says  he  took 
the  bell  from  him  when  he  had  him  in  the  sea. ' ' 
The  girl's  loyalty  woke  at  once  to  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch's  defense. 

"Well,  I  know,"  she  cried  impulsively,  "that 
he  did  not  do  anything  of  the  sort.  He  had  no 
thought  in  going  out  to  Simeon  Gvosdef  except 
to  save  his  life." 

' '  No  doubt !  No  doubt, ! ' '  replied  Peter  Efim- 
ovitch hastily,  "but  the  bell  was  around  the 
priest's  neck  when  he  went  in  and  when  Ivan 
Egorovitch  got  through  with  him  it  was  gone. 
At  best  it  is  one  man's  word  against  another's 
how  it  occurred. ' ' 

"Any  one  but  Simeon  Gvosdef,"  replied  the 
girl  scornfully,  "would  have  made  very  sure  of 
his  charge  before  imputing  evil  to  a  man  who 
had  just  saved  his  life." 


230  THE  CHALLENGE 

"That  is  true,"  replied  the  old  man  with  an 
ingratiatory  nod,  ' l  but  how  do  you  know  he  did 
not  have  orders  from  Mikhail  Sergeievitch  to 
watch  his  chance  to  take  the  bell?" 

' '  Because, ' '  she  burst  out  excitedly,  '  'if  it  had 
been  so,  I  should  have  known ! ' ' 

"Does  he,  then,  tell  you  everything  he 
thinks?"  Motrya  Petrovna  saw  the  point  to 
which  her  father  was  leading  her,  but  in  her 
eagerness  she  did  not  care. 

"Indeed,  he  does,"  she  declared  confidently, 
"and  in  this  case  his  sympathy  is  entirely  with 
the  priest." 

"It  may  be — it  may  be!"  said  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch  tentatively,  "but  how  does  it  happen  that 
he  confides  so  much  in  you  ? ' '  Motrya  Petrovna 
did  not  immediately  reply,  and,  putting  his  arm 
around  her,  he  drew  her  toward  him  till  she  was 
close  against  his  side. 

"Tell  me  honestly,"  he  said  with  unaccus- 
tomed gentleness.  "I  think  I  have  a  right  to 
know. ' ' 

"I  suppose,"  she  said  with  such  courage  as 
she  could  muster,  "it  is  because  he  is  fond  of 
me  and  we  have  been  together  for  so  long." 

"Then  you  have  come  to  care  for  him  as 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  231 

well?"  The  girl  put  her  head  against  his  coat 
so  he  could  not  see  her  face. 

"Yes,"  she  said  defiantly,  "and  I  have  told 
him  that  I  do." 

"When!"  demanded  the  old  man  laconically. 

"This  afternoon."  He  put  her  from  him 
abruptly  with  a  well-assumed  exclamation  of 
surprise. 

"Not  to-day!"  he  cried,  holding  her  at  arm's 
length  so  he  could  look  into  her  eyes. 

"Yes,  to-day." 

"God  help  us!"  he  exclaimed.  "It  does  not 
take  the  young  man  long  to  change  his  tune ! ' ' 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  demanded  breath- 
lessly. Peter  Efimovitch  shook  his  head  and 
made  as  if  he  were  about  to  rise. 

' '  No !  No ! "  he  said, ' i  I  have  no  more  to  say. 
It  was  only  that  you  took  me  by  surprise  that  I 
spoke  of  it  at  all. ' '  He  pushed  her  gently  away 
from  him,  but  she  held  him  and  would  not  let 
him  go. 

'  '  No, ' '  she  cried,  * '  I  will  not  have  it  so !  Tell 
me  why  he  should  not  have  spoken  to  me  to- 
day?" Peter  Efimovitch  felt  a  glow  of  satis- 
faction that  she  should  rise  so  readily  to  the 
bait. 


232  THE  CHALLENGE 

' '  What  is  the  use  ? "  he  asked  coolly.  '  'I  have 
been  telling  you  about  him  for  a  long  time,  and, 
unless  I  praise  him,  you  simply  believe  that  I 
am  prejudiced  toward  him,  and  unfair."  But 
the  girl  had  in  her  much  of  his  own  firmness  of 
disposition,  where  this  quality  became  a  need. 

"Tell  me,"  she  insisted.  "I  shall  not  rest 
until  I  know."  '  He  hesitated  long  enough  to  let 
her  anxiety  grow  really  warm  and  then  said 
slowly : 

"You  have  full  faith  in  him,  of  course?" 

"Yes,"  she  said,  and  hated  herself  that  she 
could  not  control  her  voice. 

The  old  man  smoked  in  silence  and  without 
being  able,  seemingly,  to  formulate  satisfacto- 
rily his  thought.  Finally,  he  took  his  pipe  from 
his  mouth  and  looked  around  at  her  with  medi- 
tative gravity. 

"It  is  a  long  story,  if  I  told  it  all  to  you," 
he  said  slowly.  "He  is  so  changeable  that  I 
never  liked  him  from  the  first.  You  think 
he  tells  you  all  that  is  in  his  heart.  I,  for  my 
part,  am  sure  that  he  does  not.  For  instance, 
he  has  made  you  believe  that  his  whole  desire 
is  to  help  the  priest,  but  all  the  time  behind  your 
back  he  has  been  rummaging  Simeon  Gvosdef  's 


PETEE  LAYS  A  PLOT  233 

things  and  moving  Heaven  and  earth  to  take 
away  his  bell."  Motrya  Petrovna  did  not  at 
once  reply.  It  was  a  new  thing  to  her  to  doubt 
her  lover,  and  the  experience  was  not  one  that 
she  enjoyed. 

"There  is  some  mistake, "  she  cried  resent- 
fully. ' i  He  has  never  told  me  a  falsehood  in  his 
life!" 

"Perhaps,"  said  her  father  doubtfully. 
"But  there  is  another  side.  You  surely  have 
not  forgotten  that  before  he  left  Eussia  it  was 
your  sister  and  not  you  that  occupied  his 
thought."  The  girl's  courage  wavered  and  she 
gave  a  little  sob. 

"That  was  long  ago,"  she  said  tremulously. 
"I  am  not  afraid  about  it  now.  He  does  not 
love  Varenka  any  more." 

"How  do  you  know?"  he  demanded  search- 
ingly.  "Has  he  said  that  he  does  not?"  Mo- 
trya Petrovna 's  desire  to  give  the  answer  that 
would  clear  her  lover  struggled  strenuously 
with  her  wish  to  tell  the  truth. 

"If  he  has  not,"  she  said  proudly,  "it  is  be- 
cause I  would  not  let  him  talk  about  the  matter 
more." 

"You  are  sure  of  him,  then,"  he  went  on  piti- 


234  THE  CHALLENGE 

lessly,  "and  feel  that  he  is  keeping  nothing 
back!" 

"As  sure  as  I  am  of  myself, "  she  declared 
eagerly.  "There  is  nothing  for  him  to  tell.'7 
Peter  Efimovitch  puffed  at  his  pipe  for  some 
moments,  and  when  he  spoke  again  it  was  in  a 
lower  tone. 

"I  suppose  you  know,"  he  said  slowly,  "that 
he  and  Varenka  have  been  holding  secret  meet- 
ings, both  here  and  in  the  other  house ! ' '  In  her 
astonishment  the  girl  sat  upright  and  looked  at 
Peter  Efimovitch  with  wide-opened  mouth. 

"Be  careful,  father!"  she  cried  warningly. 
"It  is  Varenka 's  honor,  as  well  as  mine,  you 
touch  when  you  say  that ! ' '  The  strain  of  hold- 
ing back  the  bitterness  that  was  in  him  was  be- 
ginning to  tell  on  Peter  Efimovitch  and  he  re- 
lapsed into  something  of  his  old  snarl. 

"Grod  knows  I  know  it!"  he  cried  harshly. 
"But  for  all  that,  it  is  true!"  The  girl  strug- 
gled bravely  against  her  suspicion  and  tried  to 
show  a  steady  front. 

"There  is  some  mistake,"  she  cried  again 
piteously.  "It  could  not  possibly  have  oc- 
curred!" But  Peter  Efimovitch  would  not  let 
her  off. 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  235 

"It  began, "  he  said  with  insidious  persist- 
ence, ' '  here,  in  this  house,  the  first  day  that  she 
came.  It  was  repeated  for  the  last  time  to-day, 
at  noon,  two  hours,  perhaps,  before  he  came  to 
you ! "  It  was  growing  so  dark  that  he  could  no 
longer  see  her  face,  but  he  was  aware  that  she 
still  sat  rigidly  in  her  place,  forgetful  of  every- 
thing but  the  blow  he  had  just  dealt  her. 

"Oh!"  she  cried.  "Oh!"  as  if  her  trouble 
were  too  deep  for  words.  Peter  Efimovitch 
waited  till  his  disclosure  had  time  to  take  full 
effect,  and  presently  the  reaction  came.  The 
girl's  hands  went  up  to  her  face,  she  bent  for- 
ward in  a  huddled  heap,  and  he  could  hear  that 
she  was  crying  softly  to  herself. 

"Ivan!"  she  said,  "Ivan! — I  can  not  believe 
it!"  The  old  man  laid  down  his  pipe  delib- 
erately and  put  his  arm  sympathetically  across 
her  shoulders. 

"There!  there!"  he  said.  "You  must  not 
cry.  He  is  not  worth  it."  She  did  not  resent 
his  attempt  at  comfort,  though  it  brought  her 
small  relief. 

"You  are  sure  that  they  were  there?"  she 
said  finally. 

"Yes,  I  found  them  alone  together  when  I 


236  THE  CHALLENGE 

came  in  at  noon. ' '  Motrya  Petrovna  caught  at 
a  straw  to  sustain  her  unbelief. 

"But  that  does  not  prove  anything !"  she  de- 
clared with  forlorn  eagerness.  "Even  if  they 
were  alone  together,  it  does  not  show  there 
was  anything  wrong. ' '  She  looked  at  him  with 
such  pathetic  hope  that  he  would  decide  the 
truth  to  lie  in  the  direction  she  wished,  that, 
anxious  as  he  was  to  bring  her  enterprise  to 
wreck,  he  could  not  but  be  sorry  for  her  pain. 

"It  is  a  hard  road,  little  fish,"  he  said  sym- 
pathetically, "and  I  only  wish  that  I  could  make 
it  easy  for  you  as  you  go.  But  is  it  not  best  that 
I  should»tell  you  the  truth  now,  rather  than  let 
you  go  on  unconsciously  until  you  further 
bruise  your  feet?" 

"Yes,"  she  whispered  breathlessly,  "it  is  Let- 
ter that  I  should  know ! ' ' 

"And  shall  I  tell  you,  then,  the  rest?"  She 
was  curiously  silent  for  a  moment  and  he  could 
guess  at  the  conflict  that  was  going  on  in  her 
between  her  anxiety  and  her  pride. 

"Yes,  tell  me,"  she  said  finally,  and  there  was 
a  threatening  hardening  of  her  voice.  "But  I 
warn  you  that  if  it  is  not  adequate,  I  shall  tell 
you  what  I  think!" 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  237 

"So  be  it,"  lie  said  simply,  and  took  up  his 
pipe.  The  fire  in  it  had  gone  out  while  it  was 
on  the  bench  and,  in  the  waiting,  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna  could  hear  the  whistle  of  the  air  in  it  as 
he  sucked  unconsciously  at  it  while  he  thought. 

"It  was  just  at  noon,"  he  began  moodily, 
* '  and  I  had  come  home  as  usual  to  eat.  I  went 
in  by  the  front  doer  and  found  them  alone  to- 
gether in  the  room.  He  was  lying  on  the  bed, 
and  was  covered  as  if  for  night.  She  was  bend- 
ing over  him  and  as  I  looked  I  saw  them  kiss 
each  other  as  lovers  do  upon  the  lips!"  The 
girl  stood  up  hastily  and  pushed  away  his  arm. 

"  It  is  enough ! ' '  she  said  brokenly.  ' '  Do  not 
tell  me  any  more.  I  can  not  bear  it!"  She 
stood  in  the  same  stiff  pose,  looking  unseeingly 
out  into  the  night.  The  suddenness  of  the 
calamity  that  had  come  upon  her  numbed  her 
mercifully  for  the  moment,  and  she  knew  only 
that  she  was  being  buffeted  by  the  whirlwind, 
without  strength  to  make  clear  estimate  of  her 
loss.  But  almost  at  once  the  kindly  anaesthetic 
began  to  lose  its  power  and  a  heartache  took 
her  with  such  sharpness  that  she  could  not  re- 
main still. 

"I  can  not  bear  it!"  she  repeated  sharply. 


238  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Oh,  what  shall  I  do?"  She  covered  her  eyes 
with  her  hands,  as  if  by  shutting  out  the  sight  of 
outward  things  to  limit  the  poignancy  of  her 
distress.  Her  father  watched  her  closely  and, 
putting  out  his  hand,  drew  her  to  him  again 
upon  the  bench. 

"What  did  they  say?"  she  demanded  sud- 
denly. ' i  Did  they  give  no  reason  for  what  you 
saw?" 

"What  could  they?"  returned  the  old  man 
dryly.  ' '  I  had  seen  it  myself/ ' 

"But  Varenka — "  cried  the  girl  protestingly. 
Peter  Efimovitch  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
gave  a  sigh  of  resignation  to  the  facts. 

"  She  has  made  me  no  explanation,"  he  said 
sorrowfully.  ' '  She  avoids  me  and  will  not  talk 
with  me  alone.  As  for  the  young  man,  he 
laughs  and  admits  the  thing,  and  says  there  was 
no  wrong."  The  girl's  eyes  blazed  and  she 
grasped  Peter  Efimovitch  tightly  by  the  arm. 

"You  talked  with  him,  then!"  she  panted. 
"Did  you  tell  him  what  you  thought?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man  fiercely,  "and  he 
struck  me  because  I  said  he  was  a  cur ! ' '  There 
was  no  need  now  for  him  to  act  a  part.  He  was 
moved  by  the  sense  of  his  own  wrongs,  and  his 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  239 

eyes  flashed  and  his  chest  swelled  indignantly  as 
he  remembered  them, 

"If  I  were  not  so  old,"  he  cried  regretfully, 
"he  would  not  have  to  wait  for  God  to  punish 
him. ' '  Then  he  came  back  to  the  scheme  he  had 
in  hand, 

"I  did  what  I  could/'  he  said  apologetically, 
"and  yet  now  I  have  to  hear  you  say  that  you 
are  in  love  with  him  and  are  going  to  be  his 
wife ! ' '  The  girl  shuddered  and  pressed  herself 
closer  to  his  side. 

' '  Oh,  no !  Not  now ! ' '  she  cried  in  eager  pro- 
test. "I  did  not  know  this  when  I  promised 
that.  I  never  want  to  see  the  man  again!" 
With  an  effort,  she  rose  unsteadily  and  stood 
with  the  palms  of  her  hands  pressed  convul- 
sively together.  "What  shall  I  do !"  she  added 
bitterly.  ' '  Oh,  what  shall  I  do ! "  Peter  Efim- 
ovitch  watched  her  without  effort  to  lighten  her 
distress. 

"You  are  well  rid  of  him!"  he  growled  with 
curt  conviction.  "God  grant  you  may  never 
look  at  him  again!"  The  girl  heard  him  with- 
out comment  and  remained  with  averted  face 
while  she  wrestled  with  the  rebellious  pain  that 
was  in  her  heart.  Then,  with  a  quick  motion, 


240  THE  CHALLENGE 

she  turned  and  made  a  sudden  little  rush,  into 
her  father's  arms. 

"Why  did  you  tell  me?"  she  cried  reproach- 
fully. "I  was  so  happy  in  it  all  before  I 
knew!"  Peter  Efimovitch  drew  her  tightly  to 
him  and  comforted  her  as  best  he  could. 

"Have  courage!"  he  said  soothingly.  "You 
will  not  have  to  see  him  again.  As  soon  as  the 
time  serves,  I  will  take  you  to  another  place." 

' '  How  soon  ? ' '  she  demanded.  ' '  I  must— oh, 
I  must — get  away ! ' ' 

"As  soon  as  there  is  a  boat.  To-morrow  if 
you  like. ' ' 

"Yes!  Yes!  To-morrow!"  she  assented 
breathlessly.  "It  can  not  be  too  soon."  She 
was  still  crying,  but,  after  a  little,  she  put  off 
her  father's  arms  and  pushed  him  away  from 
her,  toward  the  house. 

"Go,"  she  said,  "and  leave  me  here  a  little 
while.  I  wish  to  be  alone."  He  was  reluctant 
to  abandon  her,  and  stood  trying  to  soothe  her 
and  holding  to  her  hands.  And  so  it  happened 
that  he  did  not  see  Tatiana  Vassilievna  ap- 
proaching, till  she  came  on  them  suddenly  like  a 
ghost,  out  of  the  night. 

"Are  you  making  love  to  her,  Peter  Efimo- 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  241 

vitch,"  she  called  gaily,  "that  you  are  so  ten- 
derly holding  her  hands?"  Peter  Efimovitch 
promptly  let  go  his  hold  and  Motrya  Petrovna, 
with  a  great  sob  of  relief,  turned  swiftly  to 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  and  threw  herself  into  her 
arms.  The  older  woman  asked  no  questions, 
but  gathered  the  girl  to  her  bosom,  and  moth- 
ered her  as  if  she  had  been  a  child. 

"Never  mind,  dearie,"  she  said  soothingly. 
"It  will  be  all  right,  I  know."  When  she  had 
quieted  her  somewhat,  she  turned  to  Peter 
Efimovitch,  who  still  stood  idly  by. 

"What  have  you  been  saying  to  her?"  she 
demanded  sharply.  1 1  Have  you  been  poisoning 
her  with  tales  of  what  happened  at  my  house 
to-day  I"  Peter  Efimovitch  shrugged  his  shoul- 
ders and  put  out  his  hands. 

"I  have  told  her  nothing  but  the  truth!"  he 
answered  sullenly. 

"Yes,"  she  returned  mockingly,  "the  kind  of 
truth  that  thumps  well  on  top,  but  has  a  bad 
spot  on  the  underside.  It  is  not  the  first  time 
I  have  seen  you  do  it!"  She  looked  at  him 
with  a  scorn  that  might  have  withered  him 
where  he  stood. 

"You  have  done  enough!"  she  added.    "Go 


242  THE  CHALLENGE 

inside  and  leave  her  now  to  me. ' '  The  old  man 
obeyed  her  with  reluctance,  fearful  that  in  his 
absence  she  might  undo  the  crafty  work  he  had 
begun.  But  without  further  notice  of  him,  she 
drew  the  girl  out  into  the  dark,  and,  after  a 
moment's  irresolution,  he  cursed  softly  to  him- 
self and  went  slowly  into  the  house. 

Tatiana  Vassilievna  continued  her  ministra- 
tions till  Motrya  Petrovna  became  more  com- 
posed. Then  she  gave  a  final  smoothing  to  her 
hair  and  patted  her  gently  on  the  cheek. 

"I  knew  that  it  would  come  all  right,"  she 
whispered.  ' t  Did  he  make  you  think  that  Ivan 
was  wholly  bad?"  The  girl  nodded  vigorously, 
but  did  not  raise  her  head. 

"Well,  your  father  does  not  know  every- 
thing," went  on  Tatiana  Vassilievna  bluntly. 
Motrya  Petrovna  sorrowfully  shook  her  head. 

"I  wish  I  could  believe  it,"  she  said  faintly. 
"But,  oh,  Tatiana,  he  saw  them  with  his  own 
eyes ! ' ' 

"Well,  I  do  not  believe  it  for  all  that,"  re- 
turne'd  Tatiana  Vassilievna  stoutly.  The  girl- 
raised  her  head  with  a  sudden  gleam  of  hope. 

"Were  you  there?"  she  demanded  breath- 
lessly. 


PETEE  LAYS  A  PLOT  243 

"No,"  admitted  the  other  reluctantly,  "but 
I  am  sure  of  it  just  the  same."  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna  let  her  head  fall  back  dejectedly. 

"Oh,  dear,"  she  said,  "why  is  there  not  some 
way  by  which  I  could  be  certain,  too?" 

' '  There  is, ' '  said  Tatiana  Vassilievna  prompt- 
ly. "Send  for  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  let  him 
tell  you  the  truth,  himself. ' '  The  girl  drew  has- 
tily back  and  there  was  a  look  that  was  almost 
horror  on  her  face. 

"Oh,  I  could  not!"  she  said  positively.  "I 
would  not  talk  to  him  about  it  for  the  world!" 

"But  you  will  have  to,  sooner  or  later," 
urged  Tatiana  Vassilievna  practically.  l '  He  is 
not  the  sort  to  give  you  peace  until  you  do. ' ' 

"I  am  going  away,"  returned  the  girl,  "and 
it  will  not  matter  for  the  short  time  I  am  here. ' ' 
Tatiana  Vassilievna 's  jaw  dropped  in  her  sur- 
prise. 

"When  do  you  go?"  she  demanded. 

"To-morrow,  if  possible,  with  the  special 
boat."  The  older  woman  recognized  instinc- 
tively the  plot  that  Peter  Efimovitch  had 
hatched  up,  and  saw  that  if  it  was  to  be  met, 
there  was  need  for  strenuous  and  immediate 
action. 


244  THE  CHALLENGE 

' '  Come  over  to  my  house  with  me, ' '  she  urged 
solicitously.  "It  will  be  quieter  and  I  believe 
you  will  sleep  better  there. "  The  girl  made  no 
demur  and  they  went  in  silence  across  the  in- 
tervening space.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  waited 
on  her  charge  as  if  she  had  been  her  own  and, 
having  established  her  on  a  couch  and  given  her 
a  light,  she  slipped  away  softly  by  the  rear  door, 
and  with  determined  haste  made  her  way  along 
the  roughly-worn  paths  to  Mikhail  Etolin's 
house. 

Ivan  Egorovitch,  when  she  found  him,  lis- 
tened with  absorbed  interest  to  what  she  had  to 
say.  She  told  him  nothing  of  Motrya  Petrov- 
na's  threatened  flitting  to  the  north,  but  gave 
him  graphic  particulars  of  the  tales  that  had 
been  told,  and  of  Motrya  Petrovna's  sorrow  and 
distress. 

He  fell  at  once  into  her  plan  and  went  with 
her  without  an  instant  of  delay.  He  was  so 
sure  of  himself  and  of  the  girl  he  loved  that  he 
had  not  a  moment's  fear  as  to  the  result,  and 
only  felt  regret  that  she  should  suffer  from  the 
prick  of  a  so  unnecessary  pain.  When  they 
reached  the  door,  he  stopped  and  laid  his  hand 
on  Tatiana  Vassilievna 's  arm. 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  245 

1 '  Wait  here ! "  he  said.    l '  Let  me  go  in  alone. ' ' 

She  obeyed  him  reluctantly  and  stood  aside, 
and,  after  a  moment's  pause,  with  his  head 
down,  as  if  collecting  himself  for  the  fray,  he 
opened  the  door  abruptly  and  passed  in  out  of 
sight. 

Motrya  Petrovna  's  face  was  turned  away  and 
she  did  not  see  him  till  he  was  well  inside. 
Then,  with  a  sudden  spring,  she  landed  on  the 
floor  and  ran  quickly  back  till  there  was  a  table 
between  him  and  her. 

"What  do  you  want?"  she  panted,  her  eyes 
dilated  widely  with  her  fear.  Ivan  Egorovitch 
had  the  good  sense  to  remain  where  he  was, 
though  it  gave  him  a  sudden  pang  that  she 
should  be  afraid  of  him. 

"I  want  you,"  he  said.  "I  want  to  talk  to 
you  about  what  Peter  Efimovitch  has  said  to 
you  to-night."  She  had  been  thinking  so  con- 
stantly of  him  that  it  did  not  appear  unnatural 
that  he  should  seem  to  know  what  was  in  her 
mind.  The  one  emotion  that  moved  her  was 
dread  of  the  explanation  that  she  felt  must 
come,  and  she  was  possessed  with  a  wild  desire 
to  escape. 

"Go!"  she  cried  angrily.    "How  could  you 


246  THE  CHALLENGE 

think  you  had  the  right  to  come?"  He  went 
nearer  till  only  the  table  was  between. 

"Is  it  really  true,"  he  said  incredulously, 
' '  that  you  believe  of  me  such  evil  things ! ' '  She 
met  his  glance  unwaveringly,  and  a  spot  of 
color  began  to  burn  in  either  cheek. 

"How  can  I  help  it,"  she  said  defiantly, 
"when  I  find  you  have  deceived  me  as  you 
have  1 J '  Ivan  Egorovitch  grew  red  in  turn  and 
his  quick  temper  brought  a  momentary  sparkle 
to  his  eyes. 

"You  have  evidently  not  been  difficult  to  con- 
vince!" he  said  scornfully.  Her  lips  quivered, 
but  she  returned  bravely  to  the  attack. 

1 '  Do  you  think  it  was  an  easy  thing  for  me  ? ' ' 
she  demanded.  ' l  Be  sure  I  did  not  accept  it  till 
there  was  no  further  room  for  doubt, ' ' 

"But  there  is  no  truth  at  all  in  it!"  cried  the 
young  man  earnestly.  "I  have  never  deceived 
you  about  anything  in  my  life."  It  was  sweet 
to  her  to  hear  his  strong  denial  and  her  heart 
gave  a  treacherous  flutter  of  hope.  She  was 
too  bitterly  fixed,  however,  to  be  moved  easily 
from  her  belief. 

"Take  care!"  she  said,  with  a  mournful 
shake  of  the  head.  ' '  My  father  does  not  lie.  He 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  247 

lias  told  me  only  what  he  saw  with  his  own 
eyes."  Ivan  Egorovitch's  heart  ached  as  he 
looked  at  her  and  he  yearned  to  take  her  in  his 
arms.  But  she  was  poised  like  a  startled  hird 
and  he  knew  that,  at  the  first  movement  on  his 
part  to  advance  beyond  the  barrier  that  held 
them  now  apart,  she  would  be  instantly  up  and 
away  in  final  flight.  It  was  hard  to  plead  with 
her  at  the  longer  range,  but,  making  virtue  of 
necessity,  he  leaned  across  the  table  as  far  as  he 
could  reach,  and  stretched  out  to  her  his  hand. 

"Motrya,"  he  said  pleadingly,  and  his  voice 
reflected  the  earnestness  that  looked  out 
through  his  eyes,  "it  is  scarcely  four  hours 
since  you  said  you  would  never  believe  evil  of 
me  unless  you  heard  it  from  my  own  mouth. 
You  can  not  have  forgotten  it  so  soon.  Will  you 
not  be  fair  to  me  and  tell  me  surely  what  it  is 
that  I  have  done?"  She  did  not  move  at  his 
appeal,  except  that  at  his  gesture  she  put  her 
hands  hastily  behind  her  back. 

"What  is  the  use?"  she  said  hopelessly. 
"You  could  not  change  the  facts." 

"Tell  me,"  he  insisted.  "It  is  my  right  to 
try."  She  stood  uncertain  and  devoured  him 
with  her  appealing  eyes. 


248  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Oh,  if  you  could !"  she  cried,  and  turned 
away  her  face.  When  she  looked  at  him  again 
he  saw  that  her  eyes  were  wet,  and  she  spoke 
in  a  gentler  tone. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  she  said,  and  with  all  her 
effort,  she  could  not  hold  her  voice  so  that  it  did 
not  shake.  "You  shall  know  all  that  he  told 
me  and  the  accusations  that  he  made."  She 
stopped  for  a  moment  and  then  added  wistfully, 
"I  think  you  know  that  I  shall  be  glad,  indeed, 
if  you  can  show  me  that  they  are  not  true." 

"You  will  be  happy  then,  dear  heart,"  he 
answered  with  conviction, ' '  for  there  is  no  fault 
of  mine  that  should  come  between  us  in  this 
way. ' ' 

She  stood  so  long,  considering  how  she  should 
begin,  that  he  grew  anxious. 

"Go  on,"  he  said  impatiently.  "I  want  it 
now."  She  lifted  her  eyes  to  his  in  serious 
questioning,  and  labored  to  speak  clearly  what 
she  had  to  say. 

"You  were  honest  with  me,  were  you,  Ivan, 
when  you  told  me  you  were  doing  what  you 
could  to  help  the  priest?" 

"Why,  certainly,"  he  said,  with  new  astonish- 
ment. Her  inquiry  was  along  a  line  he  had  not 


PETEE  LAYS  A  PLOT  249 

thought  of,  and  he  scarcely  knew  what  to  ex- 
pect. 

'  *  Then  why  have  you  followed  him,  behind  his 
back,  and  searched  his  things  that  you  might 
steal  his  bell?  You  did  not  tell  me  that!" 
The  question  was  so  different  from  what  he  had 
expected  she  would  ask,  that,  for  the  moment, 
he  was  puzzled  what  to  say.  It  was  scarcely  a 
positive  hesitation,  but  she  saw  it  and  the  light 
went  out  of  her  eyes. 

"It  is  true,  then!"  she  cried  bitterly.  "My 
father  was  not  wrong.' 

"It  is  true  and  it  is  not  true,"  he  answered. 
"I  did  search  Simeon  Gvosdef's  things,  but  it 
was  not  because  I  wanted  to,  but  that,  as  an  offi- 
cer of  the  company,  I  was  given  it  to  do.  I 
have  told  you  honestly  how  I  feel  toward  him 
myself,  and  if  I  kept  the  other  matter  back  from 
you  it  was  because  it  was  a  private  order  and 
the  thing  was  not  my  own  to  tell."  Her  lip 
drew  up,  as  she  listened,  into  a  scornful  little 
smile. 

"Then  you'  were  not  quite  candid  with  me," 
she  insisted, ' i  since  you  let  me  think  that  I  knew 
all  your  heart. ' ' 

"You  did,"  he  declared  doggedly.    "I  have 


250  THE  CHALLENGE 

kept  nothing  from  you  that  I  had  a  right  to 
tell." 

"It  is  just  the  difference  that  counts, "  she 
answered,  "for  you  made  me  believe  in  trusting 
you  that  I  had  it  all."  He  did  not  know  how 
to  answer  her  and  stood  silent  with  his  eyes 
on  the  floor. 

"That  is  enough  of  that,"  she  said  with  bit- 
terness that  was  almost  contempt.  ' i  Now  I  will 
ask  you  another  thing.  Why  did  you  not  tell 
me  that  you  had  a  secret  meeting  with  Varenka, 
the  first  day  that  she  came?"  The  young  man 
recognized  Peter  Efimovitch's  malice  in  the. 
adroitness  of  the  attack  and  felt,  in  spite  of  him- 
self, his  courage  slip. 

"Your  father  has  been  cunning  in  his  plan," 
he  said.  ' '  He  has  told  you  as  truth  things  that 
are  almost  false  and  yet  have  enough  truth 
about  them  so  that  I  can  not  say  they  are 
wholly  lies.  I  did  meet  with  Varenka  Petrovna 
and  we  did  talk  that  day.  I  did  not  tell  you 
about  it  because  there  was  nothing  in  it  at  all 
that  could  be  construed  in  derogation  of  your 
right,  and,  aside  from  that,  I  was  not  sure  that 
to  tell  it  would  be  fair  to  her."  The  girl's  ex- 
cited mind  grasped  nothing  but  the  final  words. 


PETER  LAYS  A  PLOT  251 

' l  There  it  is  again ! ' '  she  cried  with  a  gesture 
of  despair.  "  There  is  always  the  reservation 
where  I  should  have  the  whole ! ' ' 

' i  It  was  only  common  decency ! "  he  burst  out 
hotly.  "Do  you  think  that  I  could  ever  tell  to 
any  one  what  has  happened  between  us  two?" 
The  protest  brought  to  Motrya  Petrovna  only 
another  pang. 

' '  Then  if  you  could  not  tell  me  about  her,  you 
do  care  for  her  still  as  you  do  for  me!"  she 
cried  wildly.  ' i  Oh,  I  might  have  known  that  it 
was  so ! "  She  covered  her  face  with  her  hands 
and  her  shoulders  began  to  shake  with  the  con- 
vulsive tremor  of  her  sobs. 

"Was  it  also  because  it  was  too  sacred,"  she 
went  on  with  caustic  slowness, ' '  that  you  did  not 
tell  me  about  her  this  afternoon  when  you  came 
to  me  with  her  kisses  still  on  your  lips?" 

"I  tried  to  tell  you,"  he  broke  in  protestingly, 
"but  you  would  not  let  me  speak.  And  as  to 
the  other,  you  are  cruelly  unjust.  I  have  not 
kissed  Yarenka  Petrovna  since  she  has  been  on 
this  side  of  the  sea." 

"My  father  saw  you!"  she  interrupted. 
"Why  do  you  tell  me  an  untruth?" 

"I  have  not  lied  to  you.    I  did  not  do  it." 


252  THE  CHALLENGE 

"You  did  not  kiss  her?"  she  asked. 

"Upon  my  honor,  no!  I  was  lying  on  the 
bed  and  your  father  saw  her  stoop  down  and 
kiss  me."  The  girl  shivered  and  gave  an  ex- 
clamation of  disgust. 

"It  is  a  fine  distinction!"  she  cried  mock- 
ingly. "What  possible  difference  is  it,  since 
the  thing  was  done,  which  one  of  you  began  it 
first!"  The  injustice  of  her  taunts  was  too 
much  for  the  young  man  and  momentarily  he 
lost  his  head. 

"You  shall  not  be  so  unfair!"  he  cried,  and 
ran  swiftly  round  the  table  to  the  other  side. 
He  did  not,  however,  find  her  wholly  unpre- 
pared. She  screamed  as  she  saw  him  coming, 
as  if  he  had  been  some  dangerous  sort  of  beast, 
and,  with  wild  abandon,  swept  round  the  table 
by  the  other  side  and  like  a  flash  fled  across  the 
room  and  out  through  the  open  door. 


CHAPTEE  XI 

THE  PKIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK 

'After  a  first  mad  moment  of  pursuit,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  made  no  effort  to  follow  Motrya 
Petrovna  in  her  flight.  She  had  vanished  into 
the  darkness  before  he  reached  the  door  and, 
while  he  knew  that  her  course  had  been  laid  for 
the  other  house,  he  found  within  him  no  wish  to 
come  to  her  in  that  haven,  where  he  must  talk, 
if  at  all,  under  the  eye  of  Peter  Efimovitch  and 
the  others  of  her  kin. 

He  stepped  aside  till  he  was  no  longer  visible 
in  the  lighted  background  of  the  open  door  and 
stood  listening  irresolutely  while  he  decided 
what  to  do.  The  sky  was  cloudy  and  shut  out 
the  stars,  and  the  darkness  hung  around  him 
like  a  veritable  pall.  It  was  so  still  that  as  he 
listened  he  could  hear  Motrya  Petrovna 's  foot- 
steps as  she  fled  away.  Then  there  was  a  mo- 
mentary gleam  of  light  and  the  sound  of  a  door 
shut  to,  and  he  understood  that  she  had  arrived 

253 


254  THE  CHALLENGE 

at  her  destination  and  for  the  time,  at  least,  was 
safe  from  his  pursuit. 

He  moved  farther  away  lest  Tatiana  Vassi- 
lievna  should  spy  him  out  and  demand  an  ac- 
counting at  his  hand.  There  was  anger  rather 
than  sorrow  in  his  heart.  He  felt  that  he  had 
been  badly  treated  and  his  pride  cried  out 
against  the  hurt.  He  remembered  the  spirit  of 
confidence  that  he  had  shown  before  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  and  which  had  been  proved  unwar- 
ranted by  the  outcome.  He  did  not  wish  to  see 
her  again  till  he  had  settled  the  matter  some- 
how between  Motrya  Petrovna  and  himself — a 
thing  which  clearly  could  not  be  done  before  the 
following  day.  There  was  nothing  to  be  gained 
by  further  waiting  and  so,  moving  slowly  at  first 
and  then  with  impatient  quickness  as  he  came 
fully  to  the  thought,  he  left  the  spot  and  re- 
turned to  Mikhail  Etolin's  house. 

The  place  was  dark  when  he  reached  it,  ex- 
cept for  the  lamp,  fed  with  fat,  that  hung  in 
front  of  the  entrance  door,  and,  deeming  its  oc- 
cupants retired,  Ivan  Egorovitch  went  in  on  tip- 
toe so  as  not  to  disturb  them  in  their  sleep.  He 
groped  his  way  cautiously  into  the  great  room, 
and  was  feeling  ahead  of  him  with  his  hands,  the 


THE  PEIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  255 

better  to  sense  his  way,  when  suddenly  there 
was  a  noise  behind  him,  an  arm  was  passed  con- 
vulsively  about  his  shoulders  and  he  felt  a 
trembling  hand  laid  on  his  lips. 

"Be  still!7'  said  a  voice  in  his  ear.  "Come 
over  here  with  me,  where  you  can  see  the  door  1 ' ' 
The  young  man  had  grappled  instantly  with  the 
intruder,  for  the  interruption,  coming  thus  un- 
expectedly out  of  the  silence,  brought  a  distinct 
sense  of  shock.  But  at  the  first  note  of  the 
wheezy  verbal  caution  he  recognized  the  lieu- 
tenant and  submitted  quietly  to  be  pulled  across 
the  room. 

Mikhail  Etolin  seemed  to  be  under  great  ex- 
citement and  pushed  his  captive  down  abruptly 
on  a  bench.  He  was  trembling  as  if  he  had 
the  ague  and  his  breath  came  and  went  in  short, 
spasmodic  gasps.  Ivan  Egorovitch  insisted 
vigorously  on  freeing  himself  and  threw  off 
Mikhail  Etolin 's  hands. 

"Let  me  alone!"  he  said  under  his  breath. 
"I  am  not  going  to  run  away."  The  lieuten- 
ant slackened  in  the  tension  of  his  grasp  and 
Ivan  Egorovitch  breathed  more  at  his  ease. 

"What  is  it,  your  Well-born!"  he  demanded 
in  a  whisper.  "Why  do  you  not  have  a  light?" 


256  THE  CHALLENGE 

Mikhail  Etolin's  hold  on  his  arm  tightened 
again  suddenly  and  he  leaned  over  till  his  mouth 
was  at  the  young  man's  ear. 

"Wait  and  you  will  see!"  he  breathed  ex- 
citedly. Ivan  Egorovitch's  curiosity  was 
aroused  and  he  set  himself  to  attend  with  pa- 
tience the  happening  of  the  event.  He  sat  in 
alert  silence  and  listened  eagerly  to  every  pass- 
ing sound. 

For  some  time,  however,  nothing  occurred 
and  he  grew  impatient  of  the  delay,  but  the  lieu- 
tenant seemed  certain  of  what  was  about  to 
come  and,  with  a  timidity  that  was  almost  eager- 
ness, kept  himself  so  close  to  his  companion  that 
he  could  touch  him  continually  with  his  hands. 

Finally  there  was  a  slight,  almost  impercepti- 
ble noise,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  felt  the  lieuten- 
ant's fingers  tighten  on  his  arm.  He  looked 
instinctively  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
sound  had  come,  and  was  convinced  that  outside 
the  door  there  was  a  stir  in  the  shadow  to  one 
side.  It  was  at  first  a  motion  purely,  with  no 
definite  form  or  shape,  and  the  young  man,  lean- 
ing forward,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  point  of 
interest,  felt  himself  grow  rigid  with  the  fixity 
of  his  regard.  The  lieutenant  began  to  trem- 


THE  PEIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  257 

ble  again  and  his  hand  on  Ivan  Egorovitch's 
arm  twitched  as  if  suddenly  it  had  become  pos- 
sessed. 

After  moments  that  seemed  interminable,  the 
formless  shadow  crystallized  and  took  shape, 
and,  out  of  the  darkness,  there  was  projected 
across  the  open  space  of  the  doorway  the  head 
and  shoulders  of  Simeon  Gvosdef,  the  priest. 

His  black  coat  and  hair  made  him,  even  under 
the  lamp,  little  more  than  an  indefinite  ma- 
terialization of  the  darkness,  but  his  white  face 
stood  out  with  startling  distinctness  against  the 
shadowy  background,  and  swayed  and  stirred  in 
the  flickering  light,  like  a  ghost  come  back  to 
life. 

For  a  moment  the  vision  persisted,  and  the 
two  watchers  saw  that  the  head  was  thrust  out 
and  the  eyes  big  with  eagerness  in  the  effort  to 
pierce  the  darkness  that  lay  inside  the  room. 
Then,  as  suddenly  as  it  had  come,  the  apparition 
disappeared,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  felt  the  grasp 
of  Mikhail  Etolin's  hand  grow  lighter  and  his 
breathing  become  more  calm. 

'  '  What  does  he  want  ? ' '  he  whispered.  ' '  Has 
he  been  here  before?" 

"Yes,"    answered    the     lieutenant    faintly. 


258  THE  CHALLENGE 

' l  This  is  the  fourth  time  to-night. ' '  The  young 
man  gave  a  little  exclamation  of  surprise. 

"What  does  he  mean?"  he  cried.  "Has  he 
done  nothing  more  than  look  in  at  the  door?" 
Mikhail  Etolin  had  grown  fairly  quiet,  though 
he  still  trembled  nervously  as  he  sat. 

"No  more,  thank  God!"  he  answered.  "He 
came  only  to  see  if  I  was  dead. ' ' 

"But,"  said  the  young  man  in  astonishment, 
"why  should  he  come  so  specially  to-night?" 
The  lieutenant  waited  a  moment  before  answer- 
ing, and  then  said  slowly : 

"They  told  him,  I  suppose,  that  I  was  at  the 
barracks  and  became  ill  and  they  had  to  bring 
me  home.  He  is  trying  to  find  out  if  it  is  really 
the  end."  Ivan  Egorovitch's  hand  went  out 
to  him  in  ready  sympathy. 

"Then  you  could  not  hold  it  back!"  he  said 
regretfully.  The  touch  and  the  kindly  word 
were  too  much  for  the  other's  self-control.  He 
seized  the  proffered  hand  with  both  of  his  own 
and  began  to  cry  like  an  hysterical  child. 

"Oh,  I  tried!  I  did  try!"  he  answered 
brokenly.  "But  this  time  it  was  not  the  same. 
It  was  because  I  was  a  fool.  I  was  sure  I  could 
hold  it  down  and  I  went  to  the  barracks  because 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  259 

it  was  the  regular  gathering  of  the  men  and  I 
did  not  want  them  to  think  it  strange  I  was  not 
there.  There  was  no  trouble  at  the  start,  but 
suddenly  I  thought  of  it  and  grew  nervous,  and 
then  they  began  to  look  at  me  curiously  and  it 
all  came  with  a  rush !  It  was  not  a  heavy  one, 
though,"  he  added  plaintively.  The  young 
man's  heart  went  out  to  Mikhail  Etolin,  but  he 
was  embarrassed  how  best  to  voice  his  sympa- 
thetic thought. 

"And  since  then  you  have  been  all  this  time 
alone!"  he  asked.  "I  did  not  know  it  or  I 
surely  would  have  been  here. ' ' 

'  *  The  priest  has  been  my  company ! ' '  said  the 
lieutenant  with  a  nervous  laugh.  "He  began 
looking  in  almost  at  once."  Ivan  Egorovitch 
considered  hastily  what  it  was  best  to  do. 

"I  wonder  if  he  will  come  back,"  he  said. 

"Why  not?"  returned  the  lieutenant  de- 
spondently. "He  has  not  found  out  what  he 
wants  to  know."  The  young  man  asked  no 
further  questions  but,  leaning  down,  began 
quietly  to  take  off  his  boots.  When  this  was 
done,  he  set  them  noiselessly  aside,  and  leaned 
over  to  the  lieutenant  till  he  could  whisper  in 
his  ear. 


260  THE  CHALLENGE 

i '  Do  not  move, ' '  he  said.  ' '  If  he  comes  again 
I  will  see  what  I  can  do."  The  lieutenant  re- 
mained mute,  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  tiptoed  cau- 
tiously across  the  floor  and  took  up  his  station 
just  inside  the  door. 

There  was  a  time  of  waiting  that  was  harder 
to  him  to  bear  than  what  had  gone  before.  He 
started  with  every  sound  and  made  ready  for 
encounters  that  did  not  come.  It  was  so  late 
in  the  evening  that  there  were  few  human 
sounds  outside,  but  in  spite  of  Mikhail  Etolin's 
attempt  at  silence,  he  could  hear  his  labored 
breathing  and  his  restless  movements  as  he 
shifted  his  arms  and  legs. 

This  time,  Ivan  Egorovitch  heard  the  priest 
before  he  came  in  view  and,  standing  on  the 
alert,  waited  impatiently  for  him  to  show  his 
face.  Simeon  Gvosdef  kept  in  the  shadow  till 
he  was  close  to  the  building,  as  he  had  done  be- 
fore. When  he  had  reached  his  place,  he  leaned 
forward  from  his  cover  so  that  only  his  head 
and  shoulders  came  in  the  opening  as  he  looked 
cautiously  in  through  the  door. 

His  face  was  so  close  to  Ivan  Egorovitch 's 
that  it  seemed  the  priest  must  see,  and,  fearing 
lest  the  recognition  would  startle  him  and  make 


THE  PEIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK   261 

him  immediately  draw  back,  he  reached  forward 
with  a  sudden  lunge,  and,  seizing  the  astonished 
priest  by  the  collar,  jerked  him  headlong  into' 
the  middle  of  the  room. 

Simeon  Gvosdef  was  small,  but  he  was  wiry, 
and  his  desperation  lent  him  strength.  He 
fought  for  his  liberty  like  a  cornered  beast  and, 
in  the  struggle  for  control,  both  he  and  his  cap- 
tor went  rolling  in  a  confused  scramble  all 
across  the  floor.  The  lieutenant  was  beside 
himself  with  excitement  and,  in  the  darkness, 
went  dancing  wildly  round  the  combatants  and 
shouted  out  directions  for  the  fray. 

"Kill  him!"  he  cried.  "Kill  him!"  and 
rained  down  blows  on  friend  and  foe  alike. 
Then,  as  a  sudden  turn  brought  the  contestants 
nearer  to  the  door,  the  light  shone  on  their  faces 
so  that  Mikhail  Etolin  could  distinguish  them, 
and  with  an  insane  cry  of  rage,  he  swept 
Ivan  Egorovitch  back  with  a  sudden  motion  of 
his  arm,  and  dropped  with  his  whole  weight 
upon  his  enemy,  his  knee  pressed  down  on  the 
other's  breast. 

"Kill  him!"  he  cried  wildly,  and  beat  the 
priest  with  his  fists.  Under  the  tremendous  im- 
pact, Simeon  Grvosdef  's  breath  went  out  of  him 


262  THE  CHALLENGE 

with  a  rush.  His  arms  dropped  limply  to  the 
floor,  and  he  lay  and  took  his  beating  without 
attempt  at  avoidance  or  defense. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  recovered  himself  and, 
throwing  his  weight  as  best  he  could  against  the 
lieutenant's  heavy  bulk,  pushed  him  away 
from  his  victim,  to  the  floor.  Mikhail  Etolin's 
strength  had  come  entirely  from  his  rage  and, 
brought  to  his  senses,  he  leaned  back  against  a 
chair,  trembling  with  his  weakness  and  gasping 
pitifully  for  breath.  Ivan  Egorovitch  took 
down  the  lamp  from  outside  the  door  and  held 
it  so  that  ne  could  see  Simeon  Gvosdef  's  face. 
The  priest's  eyes  were  closed  and  he  lay  so  still 
that  the  young  man  turned  to  the  lieutenant 
without  a  closer  look. 

1 '  You  have  your  wish ! "  he  said  grimly.  ' '  I 
believe  he  is  dead!"  Mikhail  Etolin  made 
no  reply,  but  there  was  a  responsive  gleam  in 
his  eye  which  showed  that  the  wild  beast  in  him 
was  still  awake.  The  young  man  lighted  a 
larger  lamp  and  set  it  on  a  table  to  one  side. 
Then  he  lifted  Simeon  Gvosdef  and  rolled  him 
over  on  his  back. 

The  movement  was  good  for  the  priest,  who 
was  not  dead,  but  unconscious  from  the  shock 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  263 

of  Mikhail  Etolin 's  interference  with  his  breath. 
He  sighed  deeply  once  or  twice,  opened  his  eyes 
confusedly,  carried  his  hand  in  a  dazed  fashion 
slowly  across  his  face,  and  ended  by  raising 
himself  till  he  sat  waveringly  upright.  Once 
there,  he  remained  rigidly  erect,  with  his  eyes 
tightly  closed,  while  he  awaited  the  clearing  of 
his  swimming  head. 

Mikhail  Etolin  watched  him  with  something 
that  was  akin  to  panic  in  his  look.  The  priest 
found  no  interest  in  life  till  his  brain  ceased 
going  round,  but  that  point  reached,  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  looked  stealthily  about.  Almost 
at  once,  his  glance  fell  on  Mikhail  Etolin,  sitting 
opposite  to  him  on  the  floor,  and  he  made  an 
unconscious  movement  to  put  more  distance  be- 
tween himself  and  him.  A  second  look  assured 
him  that  it  was  beyond  the  power  of  the  lieu- 
tenant just  then  to  do  him  harm,  and  his  eyes 
began  to  burn  with  their  old  insane  intensity  as 
he  studied  his  enemy's  condition  and  saw  the 
ravages  that  disease  had  wrought.  His  manner 
grew  to  one  of  triumphant  certainty  and  his 
face  took  on  a  look  of  solemn  joy. 

Then,  as  if  moved  by  a  sudden  thought,  he 
looked  into  his  hand  and,  finding  it  empty,  let 


264  THE  CHALLENGE 

his  eyes  run  here  and  there  around  him  on  the 
floor.  Between  him  and  the  door  there  was  a 
slip  of  paper,  folded  so  as  to  hide  what  was 
within,  and  with  an  effort  he  reached  and  drew 
it  to  him  with  his  hand.  He  looked  around  al- 
most guiltily  to  see  if  he  had  been  observed,  and, 
encountering  the  eyes  of  Ivan  Egorovitch,  his 
own  went  promptly  down.  The  young  man 
waited  till  he  should  raise  them  again,  and, 
when  he  did  not,  after  a  decent  interval,  ad- 
dressed him  as  if  he  had  his  eye. 

"What  were  you  here  for,  anyway,  looking 
in  in  that  way  through  the  door?"  His  voice 
sounded  loud  in  the  stillness  and  startlingly  dis- 
tinct. The  priest  kept  his  head  bent  down  and, 
without  reply,  busied  himself  in  feeling  tenderly 
the  place  on  his  breast  where  Mikhail  Etolin's 
knee  had  come.  He  thought  better  of  the  mat- 
ter, however,  on  reflection,  and,  fingering  ner- 
vously the  paper  he  had  taken  up,  he  said : 

"I  heard  that  Mikhail  Etolin  was  about  to 
die,  and  I  came  to  bring  him  a  passport  before 
it  was  too  late."  Despite  his  bodily  weakness, 
the  lieutenant's  mind  remained  bright  and 
clear.  He  understood  the  sort  of  passport  he 
was  likely  to  get  at  Simeon  Gvosdef  's  hands  and 


THE  PEIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK   265 

his  eyes  fixed  with  fearful  fascination  on  the 
paper  the  priest  held. 

"I  am  not  dead  yet,  Simeon  Gvosdef !"  he 
cried  in  a  thin,  dry  voice  that  was  scarcely  above 
a  whisper.  "You  keep  the  passport  for  your- 
self! If  God  lets  me  get  out  to-morrow,  it  is 
you,  and  not  I,  who  will  come  to  death!"  The 
priest  gave  no  sign  that  he  had  heard  the  an- 
swer, beyond  lifting  up  his  eyes  so  that  their 
steady  gaze  rested  on  Mikhail  Etolin's  face. 

"It  is  you  who  will  die,  Mikhail  Etolin,"  he 
said  with  impressive  calmness.  "You  will  not 
live  long  enough  to  do  me  harm."  He  showed 
such  confidence  in  his  belief  that  Mikhail  Eto- 
lin's jaw  dropped  and  his  heavy  bulk  began  to 
shake.  But  he  held  himself  together  as  well  as 
his  weakened  condition  would  permit,  and  re- 
turned defiantly  the  other's  calculating  look. 

"You  have  done  your  worst,"  he  piped  tri- 
umphantly, "and  you  have  not  killed  me  yet!" 
The  priest's  face  lighted  diabolically  and  he 
pointed  a  significant  finger  at  the  lieutenant  as 
he  replied : 

"Why  are  you  so  broken,  Mikhail  Serge  ie- 
vitch?  Did  I  not  tell  you  it  would  come?" 
Between  .the  excitement  and  the  suggestion,  the 


266  THE  CHALLENGE 

lieutenant  was  dangerously  near  to  a  collapse. 
His  lips  grew  purple  and  his  breath  began  to 
whistle  in  his  throat.  He  turned  to  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  with  a  glance  of  quick  appeal. 

6  i  Put  him  out ! "  he  cried  in  a  voice  that  was 
almost  a  shriek.  The  young  man  went  at  once 
to  Simeon  Gvosdef  and  took  him  by  the  arm. 

"Come,"  he  said,  lifting  him  to  emphasize 
his  words,  "it  is  time  now  for  you  to  go.  You 
can  see  for  yourself  he  is  not  dead."  Simeon 
Gvosdef  hung  back  in  his  place  and  stubbornly 
shook  his  head. 

"I  will  not  take  the  chance,"  he  declared. 
"It  is  too  near  and  he  might  die  while  I  was 
gone."  Another  look  at  Mikhail  Etolin  con- 
vinced Ivan  Egorovitch  that,  if  the  priest  re- 
mained, the  catastrophe  he"  desired  was  more 
than  sure  to  come. 

"You  have  to  go!  You  have  no  choice!"  he 
cried  and  lifted  Simeon  Gvosdef  with  both 
arms.  The  priest  resisted  strenuously  and 
strove  to  shake  his  assailant  off.  He  had  prac- 
tically recovered  his  strength  and  fought,  like 
the  maniac  he  was,  to  prevent  the  threatened 
thwarting  of  his  plan.  Mikhail  Etolin  watched 
them  with  hungry  eyes,  his  fingers  clawing  ner- 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  267 

vously  at  the  floor  in  Ms  desire  to  be  of  help. 
In  his  excitement,  he  slipped  away  from  the  sup- 
porting chair  behind  him  and  slid  down  limply 
to  the  floor. 

' t  Kill  him ! "  he  cried  in  his  high,  weak  voice, 
and  strove  to  raise  himself  by  his  hands  and 
knees.  Once,  the  struggling  men  fell  on  him 
and  he  clawed  at  them  savagely  like  a  cat. 
When  Ivan  Egorovitch  began  to  get  the  upper 
hand,  the  lieutenant  eased  a  little  in  his  effort 
and  lay  face  down  on  the  floor,  with  his  head 
turned  to  one  side  so  he  could  see  the  fray,  and 
continued  to  repeat,  as  often  as  his  scant  breath 
would  allow,  his  vengeful,  murderous  cry. 

The  young  man  worked  with  the  priest  till  he 
got  him  near  the  entrance  at  the  front.  Then, 
with  a  final  effort,  he  lifted  him  and  threw  him 
bodily  out  into  the  dark.  Slamming  the  door, 
he  put  up  the  bar  and  came  back  to  the  lieuten- 
ant panting,  and  with  his  hands  pressed  to  his 
sides. 

"He  is  gone,"  he  said  breathlessly.  "Come, 
I  will  get  you  into  bed. ' '  Mikhail  Etolin  braced 
himself  for  the  effort,  and,  with  the  young 
man's  help,  accomplished  the  distance  out  to  his 
sleeping-room,  and  ultimately  to  his  mattress 


268  THE  CHALLENGE 

on  the  platform  bench.  He  was  subdued  and 
quiet,  and  very  much  depressed. 

"He  has  got  me,"  he  said  plaintively.  "It 
is* the  beginning  of  the  end.  I  am  glad,  though, 
that  you  threw  him  out.  I  do  not  mean  that 
he  shall  see  me  die. ' ' 

Ivan  Egorovitch  divested  him  of  his  boots 
and  saw  that  he  was  covered  for  the  night. 
Then  he  put  out  the  larger  lamp  and,  taking  up 
the  other,  went  back  for  a  last  look  at  the  lieu- 
tenant before  going  to  his  own  place.  Mikhail 
Etolin  lay  perfectly  still  and  seemed  quite  at 
peace,  but  his  mind  was  still  running  on  the 
probabilities  of  his  fate,  and,  as  Ivan  Egorovitch 
turned  again  to  go  away,  he  caught  him  by  the 
sleeve. 

"Promise  me,"  he  whispered  earnestly,  "that 
you  will  not  let  him  in  here  when  I  die.  I  have 
no  mind  to  have  him  in  the  house,  and  I  will 
come  back  and  haunt  you  if  you  let  him  put  a 
passport  into  my  hand!" 

It  was  after  midnight  before  Ivan  Egorovitch 
finally  settled  to  his  sleep.  It  had  been  the 
most  strenuous  day  of  his  career,  and  his  head 
was  full  of  the  exciting  occurrences  of  the  time. 
But,  so  great  was  his  fatigue,  that  no  sooner 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  269 

was  he  down,  than  his  eyes  went  shut,  the  world 
dropped  back  behind  him  and  he  knew  no  more 
until  the  sun  had  long  been  on  its  way  again. 

Then  the  whole  panorama  of  yesterday's 
events  came  back  to  him  with  a  rush,  and  he 
dressed  himself  in  a  very  melancholy  mood. 
He  found  the  lieutenant  in  better  condition 
than  he  had  reason  to  expect,  and  saw  that  he 
was  made  ready  and  then  fed,  before  he  allowed 
himself  his  morning  meal.  It  was  plain  that 
Mikhail  Etolin  must  stay  in  bed  and  he  re- 
mained with  him  for  an  hour,  bringing  him  his 
papers  as  he  called  for  them,  and  listening  while 
he  rearranged  his  plans. 

"You  will  have  to  make  the  rounds  for  me  to- 
day, "  said  the  lieutenant.  "  There  is  little  to 
attend  to  beyond  making  sure  that  all  the  men 
are  out  at  work.  You  can  report  to  me  again 
at  noon. '  '  The  young  man  was  glad  to  get  out- 
side and  his  mind  grew  busy,  striving  to  formu- 
late some  plan  by  which  he  could  get  a  view  of 
Motrya  Petrovna  while  he  was  on  the  road. 
The  trouble  between  them  seemed  less  formid- 
able in  the  full  light  of  day,  and  he  found  him- 
self impatient  to  try  again  at  patching  up  a 
peace. 


270  THE  CHALLENGE 

He  arranged  his  detail  so  that  its  last  duty 
would  bring  him  out  at  the  two  cottages  on  the 
flat,  and  began  by  going  to  the  beach  where  the 
men  were  drying  fish.  The  boats  had  come  in  at 
dawn  and  the  catch  had  been  bountiful  and 
good.  The  fish  were  being  brought  in  in  great 
baskets  to  be  cleaned,  and  the  cloths  laid  on  the 
sand  were  already  largely  covered  with  the  pink 
strips  of  flesh. 

Everything  seemed  to  be  progressing  as  it 
should,  and  he  went  leisurely  on  to  where  his 
blood-brother  sat,  keeping  tally  of  the  catch  as 
it  was  portioned  out.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
seemed  in  lively  humor  and  greeted  him  with  a 
smile. 

1 1 Were  you  asleep,"  he  asked,  "that  you  did 
not  come  down  to  see  the  little  lady  go  ?  "  Ivan 
Egorovitch  looked  at  him  in  quick  surprise. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  said.  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  in  turn  looked  back  at  him  with 
sudden  inquiry,  and  his  lips  drew  up  in  a  quiz- 
zical whistle  of  surprise. 

"Did  you  not  know,  really,"  he  said,  "that 
Motrya  Petrovna  and  her  father  went  out  to 
Yakutat  this  morning  with  the  courier  in  the 
special  boat?"  He  had  no  doubt,  before  he  fin- 


THE  PEIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  271 

ished  speaking,  that  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  been 
ignorant  of  their  start.  The  light  went  out  of 
his  face  and  he  put  out  his  hand  in  incredulous 
surprise. 

"It  can  not  be!"  he  cried.  "I  saw  her  last 
night  and  she  said  nothing  of  it  then ! ' ' 

"Perhaps  she  did  not  want  you  to  know  it," 
returned  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  slowly.  "I  did 
not  know  of  it  myself,  until  I  saw  her  here  to- 
day." 

"What  did  she  say?"  asked  Ivan  Egorovitch 
faintly.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  smiled  at  the 
recollection  and  went  boldly  on. 

"She  was  more  than  kind,"  he  said  com- 
placently. "Kinder  than  she  has  been  for 
some  time  back.  And  when  she  went,  she  told 
me  that  she  was  really  sorry  that  she  had  to 
go."  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  become  so  palpably 
disturbed  that  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  grew 
alarmed  for  him.  Slipping  his  arm  through  his 
blood-brother's,  he  led  him  away  till  they  were 
hidden  from  the  others  by  a  sheltering  drift  of 
sand. 

' '  Tell  me, ' '  he  said  sympathetically, ' ( are  you 
then  so  hardly  hit?" 

"It  is  the  whole  world!"  rejoined  Ivan  Egor- 


272  THE  CHALLENGE 

ovitch  with  something  that  was  almost  a  sob. 
' '  I  had  her  in  my  hand  and  her  father  came  be- 
tween us  and  persuaded  her  that  I  had  not  been 
honest  toward  her  as  I  should."  Stepan  Dmi- 
trievitch  lifted  his  shoulders  in  an  expressive 
shrug. 

"What  did  you  expect?"  he  said.  "He  did 
the  same  thing  for  you  once  before. ' ' 

"But  to  have  her  go  off  like  this — without 
a  word!"  protested  Ivan  Egorovitch  mourn- 
fully. Stepan  Dmitrievitch  put  his  arm  around 
him  and  patted  him  softly  on  the  back. 

"Is  it  any  worse  for  you  than  it  is  for  me?" 
he  asked  gently.  "You  know  that  I  have 
wanted  her  for  myself." 

"Did  she  say  that  she  was  coming  back?" 
asked  Ivan  Egorovitch  suddenly. 

"No,  I  asked  her  and  she  said  she  did  not 
know  her  father's  plans." 

"Well,  I  have  lost  her,  I  suppose,"  said  Ivan 
Egorovitch  bitterly.  "I  might  have  known  it 
was  too  good  to  last!"  Stepan  Dmitrievitch, 
whose  chances  had  not  been  so  good,  was  not 
so  strongly  moved  by  the  event. 

"Cheer  up,"  he  said.  "We  have  still  each 
other  yet.  I  shall  see  more  of  you  than  I  have 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  273 

been  doing,  and  I  am  not  sure  but  I  have 
been  a  little  jealous  of  her,  ever  since  she  came." 
He  threw  his  arm  again  around  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch,  and  flushed  girlishly  as  he  looked  into  his 
eyes.  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  pleased  that  he 
should  so  greatly  care,  and  putting  his  arms 
around  him,  kissed  him  on  both  cheeks. 

"No  matter  how  much  I  love  Motrya,"  he 
said  chokingly,  "she  will  never  crowd  you  out 
of  my  heart. "  He  was  afraid  to  stay  longer 
lest  his  great  agitation  should  betray  him  into 
expressions  outside  of  his  control,  and,  break- 
ing away  from  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  's  em- 
brace, he  went  rapidly  away  from  him  along  the 
beach. 

But  though  he  had  found  comfort  in  the  tie 
thus  sentimentally  renewed,  the  consolation  was 
not  strong  enough  to  drive  his  trouble  from  his 
mind.  He  went  the  full  length  of  his  round  and 
carried  out  with  feverish  accuracy  the  tasks  he 
had  been  set  to  do.  But  his  attention  to  his 
work  was  perfunctory  at  best,  and  when,  at 
the  last,  he  came  to  where  he  had  earlier  planned 
to  find  Motrya,  his  inclination  set  his  duty  fairly 
to  one  side  and  he  stopped  to  talk  with  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  and  see  what  she  would  say.  The 


274  THE  CHALLENGE 

consolation  she  was  pleased  to  offer  brought 
him  small  relief. 

"It  is  your  own  fault!"  she  said  bluntly. 
"Why  did  you  not  come  back  last  night  and  tell 
me  you  had  failed?  Here  I  was  up  till  mid- 
night, skimming  my  brains  to  keep  them  clear  so 
I  could  help  you,  and  not  a  sign  of  you  was 
there  to  be  seen.  I  lost  my  sleep  and  lost  my 
temper,  and  that  to  me  is  worse  than  it  is  to  you 
to  lose  your  girl ! ' ' 

"But,  Tatiana,"  he  persisted  appealingly, 
"what  shall  I  do  about  it  now?" 

"Oh,  sit  down  and  cry  for  her!"  she  an- 
swered crossly.  "It  may  be  that  weeping  will 
bring  her  back!"  She  was  so  palpably  un- 
sympathetic that  the  young  man  went  discon- 
solately away. 

He  drooped  so  visibly  and  was  so  absent- 
minded  as  he  worked,  that  Mikhail  Etolin  could 
not  but  notice.  The  sudden  departure  of  Peter 
Efimovitch  and  his  daughter  furnished  him  the 
necessary  cue  and  he  questioned  the  young  man 
with  such  kindness  and  sympathetic  tact  that  he 
forgot  his  pride  and  laid  bare  the  inmost  re- 
cesses of  his  sore  heart. 

"That  is  not  so  bad,"  said  the  lieutenant 


THE  PRIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK   275 

when  he  had  heard  it  all.  "It  will  look  differ- 
ent to  her  when  she  has  had  time  to  think.  I 
have  an  extra  interest  in  this,  in  that  the  father 
seems  to  have  been  in  league  with  the  devil- 
priest  to  try  to  bring  me  down,  and  I  should 
like  to  checkmate  him  if  I  could.  You  will 
have  to  wait  till  I  can  get  about,  but  after  that 
I  think  we  can  find  some  pretext  for  sending 
you  along  to  Yakutat," 

Cheered  by  this  promise,  Ivan  Egorovitch 
turned  with  new  courage  to  his  work.  As  much 
as  possible,  he  put  the  thought  of  his  trouble 
behind  him  and  gave  his  whole  mind  to  what 
he  had  to  do.  But  the  pleasure  of  life  was 
gone  for  him  and  he  lived  to  all  intents  on 
his  hope.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch,  magnanimously 
forgetful  of  the  rivalry  between  them,  shadowed 
him  day  and  night  in  large-minded  effort  to 
assuage  his  grief.  Varenka  Petrovna  looked  at 
him  with  wistful  eyes,  but  he  had  taken  unrea- 
sonable dislike  to  her  as  the  author  of  his 
trouble  with  her  sister,  and  kept  himself  re- 
sentfully aloof.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  was  still 
sulky  and  inclined  to  scorn,  and  the  lieutenant 's 
condition  showed  no  promise  of  immediate 
change. 


276  THE  CHALLENGE 

Four  days  passed  thus,  while  his  impatience 
grew  and  then,  all  unexpectedly,  he  found  relief 
in  a  way  of  which  he  had  not  thought.  The 
regular  boat  from  Yakutat  arrived,  and,  though 
he  had  hoped  for  it  longingly,  it  brought  no 
word  for  him  from  the  girl  he  loved.  But  when 
Mikhail  Etolin  opened  the  despatches  that  it 
brought,  he  called  for  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  a 
thoughtful  face. 

"My  friend,  the  priest,  has  been  having  a 
thrust  at  you,"  he  said,  "and  your  friend  who 
has  run  away  has  put  him  in  the  way  of  its  ac- 
complishment. He  has  formally  complained  to 
Aleksander  Nicolaievitch,  the  commandant  at 
Yakutat,  that  you  have  stolen  his  bell!" 

"But  I  did  not!"  cried  the  young  man  in 
astonishment.  "I  could  not  find  it  when  I 
looked." 

"I  know  that,"  replied  the  lieutenant  with 
a  grin,  i '  but  since  it  has  been  put  as  it  has,  you 
will  have  to  stand  trial  for  it."  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch 's  hope  warmed  up  at  once. 

"Here  or  there?"  he  demanded  breathlessly. 

"  It  is  entirely  within  my  right  to  hold  it  here 
and  I  am  jealous,  on  the  whole,  of  my  preroga- 
tive. But  the  fact  that  the  complaint  was  filed 


THE  PKIEST  VISITS  THE  SICK  277 

at  Yakutat  is  proof  that  they  did  not  intend  it 
should  be  tried  by  me.  You  see  it  is  my  case 
as  well  as  yours.  They  could  not  go  behind  the 
judgment  that  I  gave,  but  they  would  surely 
talk  about  the  punishment  I  should  award  and, 
on  the  whole,  I  think  you  had  better  let  them  try 
you  there."  It  was  the  first  time  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  had  been  brought  to  pause  by  the  restrain- 
ing arm  of  the  law,  and  the  gravity  of  the  situa- 
tion was  reflected  in  his  face.  The  lieutenant 
saw  it  and  pretended  to  misunderstand. 

"I  will  try  you  here,  though,  if  you  do  not 
want  to  go,"  he  said  teasingly. 

"No,  I  will  go,"  returned  the  young  man 
hastily.  '  i  I  was  only  thinking  what  would  hap- 
pen when  I  was  brought  up  before  a  stranger  at 
the  other  end.  You  know  the  facts,  but  there 
the  accusers  will  be  two." 

"I  will  arrange  that,"  said  the  lieutenant. 
"I  know  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  personally, 
and  he  will  take  my  word.  I  will  write  a  letter 
to  go  with  you  that  will  tell  all  the  truth. ' '  The 
young  man's  face  lighted  and  he  gave  a  little 
impatient  move. 

"When  can  you  send  me  out?"  he  demanded 
eagerly. 


278  THE  CHALLENGE 

"  If  I  am  well  enough,  you  can  go  to-morrow, 
but  I  should  feel  better  about  it  if  you  would 
wait  for  the  regular  boat. ' ' 

"You  are  good  to  me,  your  Well-born, "  said 
the  young  man  gratefully.  "I  will,  of  course, 
wait  till  the  big  bidarka  goes."  Nevertheless, 
his  heart  chafed  under  the  delay,  and  he  exerted 
himself  so  assiduously  in  seeing  that  no  service 
was  omitted  that  might  restore  the  lieutenant 
to  health,  that  Mikhail  Etolin  watched  him  in 
the  performance  with  sardonic  chuckles  of 
delight. 

His  hopes,  however,  of  immediate  departure, 
were  doomed  to  disappointment  in  the  end 
Mikhail  Etolin  left  all  the  details  of  his  regu- 
lar work  to  the  young  man,  that  he  might  reap 
the  full  reward  of  rest.  The  only  thing  with 
which  he  charged  himself  was  the  preparation 
of  the  letter  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  to  take  to 
clear  his  skirts.  Even  this  excitement  proved 
too  much  for  him  in  the  end.  He  had  scarcely 
finished  it,  when  he  began  to  show  symptoms  of 
a  return  of  his  complaint.  This  time,  there 
was  the  added  burden  of  a  sharp  pain  in  the 
heart,  and  by  midnight  he  was  distinctly  worse. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL 

It  is  a  saying  of  the  peasants  that  the  man 
who  can  not  die  by  daybreak  must  wait  until 
noon,  and  this,  like  other  proverbs,  has  roots 
that  spring  from  truth.  Souls  seem  to  slip  more 
freely  in  the  hour  that  just  precedes  the  dawn, 
while  always  with  the  sun  there  springs  a  stir  of 
hope  that  warms  the  spirit  into  a  new  hold  on 
life.  When,  therefore,  the  morning  whitened 
and  the  lieutenant  was  still  alive,  the  watch- 
ers round  him  felt  that  he  had  passed  his  crisis 
for  the  time,  and  had  perhaps  another  chance 
to  mend. 

It  had  not  been  an  easy  struggle  in  the  night. 
With  the  first  symptom  of  collapse,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  had  summoned  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
and  his  blood-brother  to  his  aid,  and  the  three 
by  turns  had  sat  beside  the  sick  man  and  min- 
istered to  his  needs. 

There  was  really  small  service  to  be  done. 

279 


280  THE  CHALLENGE 

The  pain,  which  at  the  first  had  brought  out  the 
beads  of  sweat  on  Mikhail  Etolin's  face,  had 
lasted  only  a  little  time,  and  then  had  passed 
away.  At  least,  if  it  came  again,  it  was  after 
the  lieutenant  had  gone  beyond  the  point  of 
showing  outwardly  the  suffering  he  felt,  and  so 
remained  to  all  appearances  callous  to  its 
pangs. 

They  had  brought  him  on  his  mattress  out  to 
the  larger  room  and  there  he  lay  and  fought  for 
air  all  through  the  lingering  watches  of  the 
night.  There  was  no  one  of  his  attendants  who 
to  this  time  had  had  the  care  of  one  so  wholly 
sick,  and  the  lieutenant's  great  weakness 
came  to  them  as  the  sign  of  a  dissolution  sure 
and  ready  at  the  door.  It  did  not  seem  that  any 
man  could  slip  so  far  from  the  safe  heights  of 
health  and  hope  to  climb  again  back  to  his  first 
estate. 

Ivan  EgorovitcH  was  perhaps  the  one  the 
least  disturbed.  He  had  seen  the  lieutenant 
in  like  straits  before  and  had  found  the  experi- 
ence trying  to  his  nerves.  But  he  had  seen,  too, 
recovery  follow  the  attack,  and  so  was  now 
prepared  to  face  the  crisis  with  a  philosophy 
that  favored  hope. 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       281 

Stepan  Dmitrievitch  made  no  pretense  but 
that  he  was  disturbed.  With  hands  pressed  to- 
gether, he  stood  helplessly  about  and  listened 
with  a  look  akin  to  fear  to  the  stertorous 
breathing  of  the  sick  man  on  the  bed.  Where 
he  was  told,  he  performed  the  task  imposed  with 
awkward  readiness.  But  all  the  remaining 
minutes  found  him  anxious  in  his  mind,  so  that 
when  he  met  the  eyes  of  his  associates,  he  was 
embarrassed  and  confused,  and  stood  repeat- 
ing with  a  mournful  shaking  of  the  head : 

"Akh!  It  is  dreadful!  Something  must  be 
done!" 

Tatiana  Vassilievna  found  her  femininity  a 
resource,  and  was  perhaps  the  most  composed 
and  helpful  of  the  three.  It  was  a  shock  to  her 
when  she  first  looked  at  Mikhail  Etolin  and  saw 
the  changes  his  disease  had  wrought.  He  had 
grown  haggard  in  the  days  he  had  been  in  bed, 
and  his  skin  hung  flabbily  about  his  face  and 
neck,  like  a  garment  that  was  too  large.  But 
her  heart  was  touched  that  he  should  lie  so 
helpless  and  depressed,  and  she  set  herself 
busily  to  add  to  his  comfort  as  she  could. 

She  sent  Ivan  Egorovitch  for  water  and  the 
proper  cloths,  and  commissioned  Stepan  Dmi- 


282  THE  CHALLENGE 

trievitch  to  renew  the  coals  in  the  samovar  and 
blow  it  till  it  boiled. 

"He  should  have  care,"  she  said.  "There  is 
no  harm  in  being  comfortable  when  sick." 
When  Ivan  Egorovitch  returned,  she  had  him 
stand  and  hold  the  wooden  dish  while  she  bathed 
the  lieutenant's  face  and  neck  and  straightened 
the  disorder  of  his  hair. 

"There,"  she  said  with  satisfaction  when  she 
had  finished  with  the  work,  "if  we  can  make 
him  over  to  be  as  different  inside  as  we  have 
out,  there  will  be  hope  of  him  at  once!" 

As  a  means  to  this  inner  regulation,  she  took 
a  cup  of  boiling  water  into  which  vodka  had 
been  poured  and  fed  him  the  mixture  slowly 
with  a  spoon.  The  lieutenant's  eyes  grew 
brighter  under  the  stimulation,  and  a  trace  of 
color  began  to  flutter  in  his  cheeks.  His  mind 
was  clear,  despite  the  failure  of  his  bodily  pow- 
ers, and,  though  he  did  not  speak,  he  fixed  his 
eyes  on  Tatiana  Vassilievna  in  grateful  recog- 
nition of  her  help  and  followed  her  movements 
continually  with  his  solemn  gaze.  She  took  a 
real  delight  in  his  rejuvenation  and  cried  out 
eagerly  at  each  symptom  of  advance. 

"He  will  do  well,"  she  said,  "now  that  he  has 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       283 

made  up  his  mind.  See  how  easily  he  moves  his 
hands !"  Mikhail  Etolin  caught  a  sudden  cour- 
age from  the  contagion  of  her  hope  and  picked 
up  heart  to  make  a  stronger  fight. 

At  midnight,  the  two  men  urged  on  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  that  she  lie  down  and  sleep,  and 
after  a  pretense  of  refusal,  she  reluctantly 
agreed.  Whether  the  withdrawal  of  her  touch 
and  word  took  from  the  lieutenant  the  sup- 
port required  to  hold  firm  his  grasp  on  life,  or 
else  that,  in  its  progress,  the  disease  that  held 
him  gripped  more  strongly  at  different  times, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  when  she  left  the  scene  his 
interest  in  life  declined.  And  so,  when  Ivan 
Egorovitch  wakened  her  after  some  three  hours' 
rest,  she  knew  at  once  by  his  look  that  the  sick 
man  had  not  prospered  in  the  time. 

The  rousing  had  come  through  a  touch  on  the 
shoulder,  and  she  had  sat  up  promptly  and 
stretched  to  bring  herself  awake.  Then,  catch- 
ing the  serious  expression  on  the  young  man's 
face,  she  became  suddenly  attentive  and  fixed 
him  with  her  eyes. 

"Is  Mikhail  Etolin  worse ?"  she  asked 
abruptly.  He  nodded  silently  with  compressed 
lips.  She  rose  without  further  question  and 


284  THE  CHALLENGE 

tiptoed  over  so  that  she  could  see.  A  glance 
sufficed  to  show  her  how  greatly  the  lieutenant 
had  changed.  Her  brows  knit  compassionately, 
and  she  crossed  herself  as  she  took  cognizance 
of  the  ashy  pallor  of  his  face,  his  pinched  fea- 
tures and  the  pitiful  expression  of  his  mouth. 

"You  must  go  for  the  priest,"  she  said  de- 
cisively. "He  must  have  communion,  and  it  is 
too  great  a  risk  to  wait." 

"I  dare  not,"  returned  Ivan  Egorovitch  posi- 
tively. "It  was  Mikhail  Sergeievitch's  strict 
orders  that  Simeon  Gvosdef  should  not  be  al- 
lowed to  come."  Tatiana  Vassilievna  consid- 
ered for  a  moment  in  perplexity,  and  then 
turned  aside. 

"I  will  pray  for  him,  then,"  she  said  softly. 
"There  does  not  seem  to  be  anything  else  to 
do."' 

She  went  across  to  where  the  dark  ikon 
hung  on  the  wall,  and,  going  down  on  her 
knees,  began  to  repeat  in  sibilant  undertones 
such  supplications  as  she  knew.  Her  nature, 
though,  was  not  one  to  find  a  permanent  relief  in 
prayer,  and  in  a  few  moments  she  was  up  and 
back  again  beside  the  bed. 

With  as  much  care  as  if  she  thought  he  was 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       285 

asleep,  she  laid  her  hand  on  Mikhail  Etolin's 
chest  above  his  heart  and  waited  breathlessly  to 
feel  it  beat  It  moved  so  feebly  and  with  such 
palpable  delay  that  the  fear  was  strengthened 
within  her  that  he  was  entirely  beyond  human 
aid. 

She  bent  above  him  and  spoke  to  him,  but  he 
did  not  open  his  eyes.  She  remained  thus  close 
to  him  for  several  minutes  and  smoothed  his 
hair  sympathetically  with  her  hand.  Then  she 
straightened  herself  and  the  two  men  saw  that 
her  cheeks  were  wet  with  tears. 

"It  is  hard,  indeed/'  she  said  tremulously,  "to 
die  without  a  priest,  But  as  there  is  no  church 
and  Simeon  Gvosdef  can  not  come,  God  surely 
ought  to  listen  when  we  speak  for  Mikhail  Ser- 
geievitch  here,  just  as  well  as  if  we  knelt  before 
the  holy  gates. ' ' 

Under  the  ikon  on  the  wall  there  was  a  cruci- 
fix hung  by  a  metal  chain.  She  took  this  down 
and  carried  it  to  Mikhail  Etolin's  bed. 

"Kiss  this  and  God  will  know  you  trust  your 
soul  to  Him,"  she  said,  and  pressed  it  to  his 
lips.  The  touch  of  the  cold  metal  roused  the 
sinking  man,  and  he  opened  his  eyes  and  fixed 
them  inquiringly  on  her  face.  He  understood 


286  THE  CHALLENGE 

at  once  her  action  and  her  tears,  and  how  ex- 
treme, in  doing  it,  they  must  have  guessed  his 
strait  to  be.  But  his  brave  soul  was  not  content 
yet  to  give  up  the  fight.  A  wavering  gleam  of 
defiance  came  into  his  eyes,  and  with  a  supreme 
effort  he  turned  away  his  head.  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  gave  a  low  cry  and  snatched  away  the 
cross. 

' t  He  is  not  ready, ' '  she  said  in  a  tone  that  was 
almost  awe.  She  put  the  crucifix  behind  her 
and  stood  watching  him  with  kindling  eyes. 
Then,  stooping  down  so  that  he  should  surely 
hear,  she  spoke  to  him  with  the  thrill  of  conflict 
in  her  voice. 

1 <  Hold  to  your  fight ! ' '  she  cried.  ' '  You  will 
win  yet  if  your  courage  keeps."  The  lieuten- 
ant made  no  answer  beyond  a  momentary  flut- 
ter of  his  eyelids,  but  the  determination  of  his 
stubborn  spirit  had  entered  into  the  woman's 
heart  and  she  set  herself  with  renewed  energy 
to  bolster  up  his  lagging  body  so  that  it  should 
not  prove  unworthy  of  his  soul. 

She  found  his  feet  were  clammy  to  the  touch 
and  wound  them  in  hot  cloths  so  they  would 
be  warmed.  His  hands  were  blue  and  she 
rubbed  them  till  the  blood  began  to  move.  And 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       287 

when  he  could  not  take  the  stimulant  she  of- 
fered, she  forced  it  drop  by  drop  between  his 
unwilling  teeth. 

Her  two  companions  scarcely  caught  the  fire 
of  her  enthusiasm,  but  they  bent  themselves 
cheerfully  to  her  assistance  and  spared  no  pains 
to  make  their  service  good.  The  sick  man  lay 
inert  and  his  uplift  toward  recovery  was  so  slow 
that  even  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  despite  her  stout 
assertion,  grew  a  whit  dismayed. 

'  '  If  it  were  any  other  time  of  night ! ' '  she  said 
dejectedly.  "He  could  not  choose  a  harder 
time  to  try."  But  there  is  an  end  even  to  the 
slow-moving  darkness.  While  they  hoped  and 
labored  the  shadows  about  them  softened  and 
grew  less  distinct.  The  color  seemed  to  go  out 
of  things  around  them,  and  they  could  see  the 
familiar  objects  of  the  room,  pallid  and  gray, 
like  ghosts  of  their  real  selves. 

They  welcomed  the  light  with  friendly  eyes, 
and  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  tiptoeing  quietly  to  a 
window,  opened  it  and  let  in  the  fresh  morning 
air.  It  was  a  relief  to  her  after  the  close  silence 
of  the  room  to  hear  the  increasing  stir  of  nature 
awakening  outside.  She  stood  for  a  long  time 
gazing  out  into  the  dawn,  and  when  the  first 


288  THE  CHALLENGE 

rays  of  the  sun  broke  in  through  the  window  and 
made  a  yellow  streak  across  the  floor,  she 
turned  to  her  companions  with  a  face  that 
seemed  to  have  caught  illumination  from  its 
light. 

"We  have  beaten  death!"  she  cried  with  a 
queer  note  of  triumph  in  her  voice.  The  two 
men  stirred  responsively  in  their  places  and, 
moved  by  the  infection  of  her  restlessness, 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  stretched  himself,  and  ris- 
ing, began  to  drift  aimlessly  about.  There  was 
a  knock  at  the  door,  and  being  the  nearest,  he 
opened  it  and  found  Varenka  Petrovna  waiting 
to  come  in.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  went  to  her  at 
once. 

"It  is  you,  is  it  I"  she  said.  "I  was  think- 
ing you  would  come.  I  can  not  go,  though. 
You  will  have  to  bring  him  here. ' ' 

"How  is  Mikhail  Etolin?"  asked  the  younger 
woman  in  a  whisper. 

"Come  in  and  see.  If  he  is  here  at  all  it  is 
because  we  have  held  him  with  our  hands!" 
Varenka  Petrovna  ?s  curiosity  tempted  her  in- 
side, and  keeping  close  to  the  older  woman,  she 
crossed  the  room  and,  pausing  beside  Mikhail 
Etolin's  bed,  stood  still  and  looked  at  him.  It 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       289 

was  not  a  pleasing  vision,  and  she  drew  down 
her  eyebrows  and  pressed  her  fingers  to  her 
lips. 

"Do  you  think  he  will  die?"  she  whispered. 
Tatiana  Vassilievna's  sense  of  triumph  stirred 
in  her  like  wine. 

"He  does  not  dare!"  she  said  sententiously. 
' '  I  should  just  like  to  see  him  try ! ' '  The  girl 's 
curiosity  was  quickly  satisfied  and  she  retreated 
to  the  door. 

"I  will  bring  Grinya,"  she  said,  as  if  in  apol- 
ogy for  her  haste,  and,  without  apparent  notice 
of  the  two  others  present,  slipped  silently  away. 
When  she  returned,  Tatiana  Vassilievna  took 
the  child,  and  seating  herself  on  the  lieuten- 
ant's bench  outside  the  door,  she  suckled  it 
while  she  talked  with  Varenka  Petrovna  in  low 
tones.  When  she  had  finished,  she  sent  the 
child  away,  but  remained,  herself,  seated  outside 
in  the  sun,  without  a  motion  to  go  in.  When 
she  did  return  to  the  sick  chamber  it  was  evi- 
dent to  Ivan  Egorovitch  that  she  had  something 
on  her  mind. 

"You  told  me,  did  you  not,"  she  said  to  him, 
"that  this  trouble  came  to  Mikhail  Sergeievitch 
because  he  was  afraid?" 


290  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Yes,"  said  the  young  man  tentatively,  "but 
what  of  that*" 

"This,"  she  said,  "that  since  there  is  no  doc- 
tor at  the  post  and  no  priest  that  can  be  called, 
it  falls  to  us  to  do  what  should  be  done.  Would 
it  not  be  worth  while  for  me  to  try  and  'pour  out 
fear'?"  Ivan  Egorovitch  raised  his  eyebrows 
and  considered  before  he  spoke. 

' '  What  is  the  use  f "  he  said  at  last.  ' l  Mikhail 
Sergeievitch  knows  already  who  it  is  that  has 
brought  him  harm." 

'  '  That  does  not  matter.  If  he  recognizes  the 
figure  the  fear  will  go  away. ' ' 

"Perhaps,"  said  the  young  man  doubtfully, 
"though  I  have  small  faith  in  it  myself.  And 
besides,"  he  added,  "even  if  it  makes  a  figure 
at  the  last,  he  is  too  weak  to  speak  its  name." 

"Well,"  returned  Tatiana  Vassilievna  with 
some  heat,  "he  certainly  will  not  speak  it  if  the 
pouring  is  not  done,  and  I  can  not  see  that  it 
would  do  harm  to  try." 

"No,  I  suppose  not,"  assented  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch reluctantly.  "But  can  you  do  it  as  it 
should  be  done?" 

"Of  course.  I  have  done  it  more  than  once 
at  home." 


THE  P^^NGUQF  MIKHAIL       291 


"Very  well,"  he  answered,  giving  up  the 
fight,  "I  hope  it  will  do  good.  What  will  you 
need  beside  the  wax  and  stone?"  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna  examined  the  samovar  carefully  before 
she  spoke. 

"Nothing  but  a  copper  dish,"  she  answered. 
"We  can  use  these  coals  here  for  a  fire." 

"I  will  get  the  stone,"  said  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch  with  sudden  interest.  '  *  There  is  one  near 
the  boat-house  that  is  large  enough  and  flat." 
He  went  at  once  about  his  errand  and  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  continued  with  the  other  arrange- 
ments for  carrying  out  her  plans. 

She  drew  a  bench  up  near  to  the  platform  on 
which  Mikhail  Etolin  lay  and  covered  it  neatly 
with  a  cloth.  Then,  turning  over  the  tray  of 
the  samovar  she  placed  it  on  the  improvised 
table  and  poured  out  on  it  the  heap  of  coals. 
Beside  it  she  laid  a  knife,  a  cake  of  wax  and  the 
copper  basin  that  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  supplied. 
Beyond  these,  then,  by  direction,  was  deposited 
the  stone  when  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  brought 
it  in. 

When  all  was  arranged  the  two  men  stood 
back  and  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  with  the  com- 
posure of  full  confidence,  made  ready  to  begin. 


292  THE  CHALLENGE 

With  much:  gentleness,  she  raised  the  lieuten- 
ant and  propped  him  up  with  pillows  so  that  he 
could  see.  Then,  after  standing  a  moment  in 
silent  self-communion,  she  lifted  the  cake  of  wax 
and,  holding  it  above  her  head  as  the  priest 
holds  the  host,  she  turned  with  it  to  Mikhail 
Etolin's  bedside,  and  pushing  open  his  clothing 
laid  it  directly  on  his  breast. 

"The  fear  is  yours  and  the  fight  is  yours," 
she  said  solemnly,  "and  if  this  is  to  tell  the 
truth  at  last,  it  must  first  catch  its  warmth  from 
the  courage  you  have  within."  She  paused  in 
her  apostrophe  and  waited  with  her  hands 
clasped  round  the  yellow  lump,  as  if  to  keep 
within  it  the  heat  it  should  acquire.  Mikhail 
Etolin  displayed  no  interest  in  what  she  did, 
beyond  an  uneasy  movement,  as  if  even  the 
slight  weight  put  upon  him  by  it  were  for  the 
time  a  pain.  She  said  nothing  more  while  she 
waited,  and,  after  a  little  space,  lifted  the  cake 
again,  and,  holding  her  hands  jealously  around 
it,  turned  with  it  quickly  to  the  bench  and  de- 
posited it  in  the  shallow  copper  pan.  Taking 
up  the  knife,  with  two  swift  strokes  she  cut  the 
cake  into  four  even  parts. 

' '  Two  for  the  north  and  south  and  two  for  the. 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       293 

east  and  west, ' '  she  announced  in  a  clear  steady 
voice.  "As  all  are  even  and  of  no  choice,  so 
from  no  single  point  shall  error  come."  She- 
lifted  the  basin  by  its  long  handle  as  she  spoke 
and  set  it  carefully  upon  the  coals.  Then,  fall- 
ing back  a  pace,  she  stood  and  watched  it  with 
expectant  interest,  and  for  the  moment  there 
was  silence  in  the  room. 

The  wax  softened  with  the  heat,  and  from  un- 
der it  liquid  streams  began  to  spread  out  un- 
evenly across  the  pan.  She  followed  them  in- 
tently, bending  forward  with  absorbed  interest 
to  watch  them  as  they  moved.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  edge,  the  hotter  surface  of  the  pan 
lifted  them  into  motion  and'  the  mass  began  to 
simmer  and  stir  with  a  dry  crackling  sound. 

At  the  first  note  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
straightened  herself  stiffly  and  stood  with  lips 
parted,  as  if  awaiting  an  expected  sign.  What 
it  was  no  one  heard  besides  herself,  but  when  it 
came  she  recognized  it,  and,  lifting  up  her  head 
so  that  her  throat  was  free,  she  drew  in  a  little 
sobbing  breath  and  began  to  sing. 

The  first  note  was  tremulous  and  uncertain, 
and  had  an  impersonal  quality  as  if  she  were 
a  listener  to  it  rather  than  the  one  by  whom 


294  THE  CHALLENGE 

it  was  made.  It  had  a  startling  effect  on  Ivan 
Egorovitch  and  Stepan  Dmitrievitch,  though 
they  had  known  beforehand  what  she  was  going 
to  do,  and,  moved  by  its  vibrant  thrill,  Mikhail 
Etolin  stirred  uneasily  and  opened  his  eyes. 

The  first  tone  was  followed  by  another, 
stronger  and  more  resonant,  but  still  like  the 
sound  of  a  wind-instrument  rather  than  a  hu- 
man voice.  Then  the  notes  began  to  come 
faster,  growing  in  intensity  and  depth  until 
they  merged  into  a  stately  sort  of  tune. 

"There  was  a  fear  at  heart,  a  bitter  fear!" 
she  sang,  and  the  charge  was  like  a  solemn  ar- 
raignment of  the  world.  Her  voice  was  a  low 
contralto,  full  and  sweet.  It  was  hoarse  in  the 
lower  register  and  never  ventured  high.  But 
it  was  charged  with  a  dramatic  intensity,  a 
pulse  of  feeling  that  carried  it  irresistibly  to 
the  hearts  of  those  who  listened. 

It  was  a  melancholy  strain  at  first,  somber 
and  pathetic,  as  she  declared  the  trouble  of 
Mikhail  Etolin 's  soul.  It  had  sympathy  in  it 
and  fear,  and  a  pathetic  sadness  that  bordered 
on  appeal.  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  glanced  uneasily  at  each  other  and 
the  lieutenant,  moving  nervously,  punctuated 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       295 

his  acute  attentiveness  with  a  long  responsive 
sigh. 

Tatiana  Vassilievna  heard  it,  and  looked 
hastily  around.  Her  eyes  brightened  signifi- 
cantly, and  she  threw  herself  with  renewed 
spirit  into  the  rendering  of  her  song.  It 
changed  to  a  firmer  measure  and  a  more  per- 
sistent note.  There  was  no  longer  the  plaintive 
melancholy  with  which  it  had  begun.  Instead, 
there  began  to  breathe  in  it  a  defiant  strain,  a 
self-assertion  that  reached  out  boldly  and  took  a 
steadying  grip  on  the  soul.  There  was  the 
courage  of  effort  in  it,  and  a  passionate  insist- 
ence that  was  almost  insolent  in  its  parade  of 
power. 

Tatiana  Vassilievna,  leaning  over  the  melting 
wax,  had  forgotten  her  audience  entirely,  and 
was  pouring  out  her  soul  in  the  delivery  of  her 
song.  Ivan  Egorovitch  sat  rigidly  upright,  his 
hands  clasped  in  his  lap  and  his  face  illuminated 
with  the  fire  of  awakened  feeling.  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  looked  steadily  out  through  the 
open  window  without  change  of  pose,  and  Mik- 
hail Etolin,  nervously  picking  at  his  covers  with 
his  hands,  devoured  the  singer  fiercely  with  his 
solemn  eyes. 


296  THE  CHALLENGE 

The  tension  was  too  great  to  be  for  any  time 
sustained.  The  song  was  fitted  to  a  purpose, 
and  when  that  was  fulfilled  it  came  promptly  to 
an  end.  Tatiana  Vassilievna,  looking  down, 
saw  that  the  last  particle  of  wax  had  melted  and 
run  down,  and,  lifting  her  hands  as  if  in  invoca- 
tion, she  brought  the  singing  to  a  close. 

It  stopped  abruptly,  on  a  high  plaintive  note, 
and  before  her  breathless  audience  fairly  real- 
ized that  it  was  done  she  stooped,  and,  lifting  up 
the  copper  pan,  poured  the  liquid  wax  slowly 
out  upon  the  stone.  She  shut  her  eyes  as  she 
did  so  that  she  might  in  no  way  influence  the 
shape  in  which  it  cooled.  And  when  it  was  all 
out  she  set  the  pan  aside,  and  turned  with  eager 
interest  to  see  what  it  had  made. 

The  two  men,  waking  from  the  spell  that  had 
held  them  bound,  tiptoed  eagerly  to  her  side, 
and  fhe  three  stood  with  their  heads  close  to- 
gether, studying  the  outline  of  the  cooling  mass. 
It  needed  but  one  glance  to  show  Tatiana  Vas- 
silievna that  her  pouring  had  resulted  in  suc- 
cess. With  a  little  cry  of  triumph  she  stood 
upright,  and  with  her  finger  on  her  lips  as  a  cau- 
tion to  the  necessary  silence,  she  looked  at  the 
two  men  the  question  she  did  not  wish  to  speak. 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       297 

Stepan  Dmitrievitch  was  slow  of  intuition, 
and  returned  her  inquiry  with  a  puzzled  stare, 
but  Ivan  Egorovitch  caught  her  meaning  almost 
as  she  looked.  He  nodded  sympathetically,  and 
stooping,  ran  with  his  forefinger  the  outline 
around  the  wax  to  call  attention  to  the  resem- 
blance he  had  guessed.  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
nodded  in  her  turn,  and  then,  with  a  sudden 
sobering  of  her  features,  looked  confidently  at 
Mikhail  Etolin  as  he  lay. 

"He  will  see  it,  too,"  she  whispered,  "if  only 
he  can  find  the  strength  to  speak."  Picking 
up  the  stone,  she  carried  it  carefully  to  Mikhail 
Etolin 's  side  and  held  it  up  so  that  he  could 
see. 

"Tell  me,"  she  said,  "what  is  there  pictured 
here  that  has  served  to  bring  you  fear?"  The 
lieutenant's  solemn  eyes  went  to  her  face  and 
then  slowly  descended  to  the  stone.  He  took 
but  an  instant  to  his  scrutiny,  and  .when  he 
raised  them  again  she  saw  in  them  the  answer- 
ing intelligence  that  she  had  wished. 

"Speak  it!"  she  commanded.  "It  is  neces- 
sary it  should  be  said  in  words."  Mikhail 
Etolin 's  lips  moved  faintly,  but  he  made  no  ar- 
ticulate sound.  Tatiana  Vassilievna  set  down 


298  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  stone  gently  and  came  more  closely  to  Ms 
side. 

"Try  it  again,"  she  said  encouragingly,  and 
bent  so  that  her  ear  was  almost  against  his 
mouth.  The  lieutenant  gathered  himself  for 
the  effort,  and  strove  earnestly  to  make  himself 
heard.  She  remained  hent  over  him  for  fully  a 
minute  listening  for  his  words,  and  then  lifted 
up  her  head,  and,  looking  at  the  others,  laughed 
a  contented  happy  laugh. 

"He  will  get  well,"  she  said  simply.  "He 
said  it  was  Simeon  Gvosdef's  bell."  Mikhail 
Etolin  heard  her,  as  well  as  the  others,  and  her 
confidence  invested  him  with  new  life.  His  face 
warmed  out  of  its  ghastly  pallor,  and  he  began 
to  exert  the  conscious  balance  of  the  muscles 
that  is  the  outward  measure  between  life  and 
death. 

By  ten  o'clock  he  bade  so  fair  to  live  that  Ivan 
Egorovitch,  leaving  the  care  of  him  to  Tatiana 
Vassilievna  and  his  blood-brother,  went  out  for 
a  hasty  round  among  the  men.  Stepan  Dmitrie- 
vitch,  stretching  himself  full  length  upon  a 
bench,  went  promptly  off  to  sleep.  Tatiana 
Vassilievna,  herself,  sitting  where  she  could  see 
the  sick  man  if  he  stirred,  had  to  force  her  hands 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       299 

to  move  vigorously  at  her  knitting  to  keep 
awake.  Between  the  quiet  and  the  growing 
heat,  she  found  it  even  then  no  easy  task. 
There  was  a  monotony  in  the  sights  and  sounds 
around  her  that  insidiously  tempted  to  repose. 
The  long,  even  breathing  of  the  sleeper  on  the 
bench,  the  rhythmic  swaying  of  the  shadows  cast 
by  the  sunlight  on  the  floor,  and  the  unvarying 
song  of  a  bird  somewhere  outside  that  repeated 
endlessly  three  notes  at  differences  of  minor 
thirds,  all  served  to  work  on  her  imagination  so 
that,  without  her  will,  at  times  her  eyes  shut 
unconsciously. 

The  lapses  were  not  total,  for  at  no  time  did 
she  wholly  cease  to  knit.  But  the  motion 
through  long  practice  had  become  largely  auto- 
matic, and  for  moments  at  least  she  missed 
what  happened  in  the  room. 

Awaking  guiltily  from  one  of  these,  she  stole 
a  look  at  Mikhail  Etolin  to  see  if  he  had  seen, 
and  was  startled  into  full  consciousness  by  the 
expression  of  his  face.  He  was  still  propped 
on  his  pillow  so  that  he  was  half  upright,  but  his 
head  had  fallen  forward  on  his  chest,  his  jaw 
had  dropped  so  that  his  lips  were  drawn  apart, 
and  he  was  gazing  out  into  the  room  behind  her 


300  THE  CHALLENGE 

witli  a  hopeless  look  of  utter  terror  and  de- 
spair. 

With  a  little  exclamation  of  astonishment,  she 
rose  swiftly  and  turned  in  the  direction  marked 
out  by  his  eyes.  There  was  no  trouble  then  in 
fixing  on  the  reason  for  his  fear,  for  just  in- 
side the  door,  where  he  had  come  while  she  was 
dozing,  she  saw  Simeon  Gvosdef,  the  priest. 

He  was  in  his  full  robes  and  carried  the  ele- 
ments of  the  sacrament  in  his  hands.  He  stood 
gazing  doubtfully  round  with  his  shifty  glance, 
with  an  eye  first  on  the  sick  man  and  then  on  the 
door,  so  that  should  occasion  demand  it,  he 
might  take  refuge  in  flight. 

Tatiana  Va&silievna  was  uncertain  what  to 
do.  She  saw  that  the  priest 's  presence  was  ter- 
rifying to  Mikhail  Etolin,  but  she  had  no  certain 
order  to  refuse  him  entrance,  and  not  only  did 
she  feel  the  pressing  need  of  priestly  comfort 
for  her  patient,  but  in  her  heart  there  moved 
unconsciously  the  feminine  impulse  of  submis- 
sion to  a  priest.  She  stood  irresolute  and 
found  herself  thinking  vaguely  how  the  light 
from  the  door  behind  Simeon  Gvosdef  brought 
out  the  color  of  his  lilac  robe. 

The  priest  took  instant  advantage  of  her  inde^ 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       301 

cision  and  stepped  boldly  forward  into  the  room. 
Setting  on  the  table  the  emblems  of  the  host,  he 
came  nearer  to  the  bed,  his  hand  outstretched 
in  the  usual  priestly  blessing. 

"  Peace  be  to  this  house, "  he  said  with  unctu- 
ous softness.  He  had  lost  his  timid  air  and 
spoke  with  the  calm  assurance  of  his  cloth. 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  bent  her  head  and  crossed 
herself  in  answer  to  the  greeting,  but  when  he 
came  nearer  and  made  as  if  he  would  pass  by 
her  to  Mikhail  Etolin's  bed,  she  stepped  in  front 
of  him  and  checked  him  in  his  advance. 

"Wait,"  she  said  with  a  show  of  authority. 
"What  are  you  going  to  do  1 "  The  priest  gave 
back  at  once  with  fawning  submissiveness,  and 
stood  with  his  eyes  cast  down. 

"There  is  the  need  that  he  be  shrived,"  he 
said  in  a  low  voice.  "Without  it  he  is  not  fit  to 
die." 

"Wait  till  it  is  time,"  she  responded  scorn- 
fully. "He  is  not  going  to  die  now." 

"How  do  you  know?"  he  demanded  search- 
ingly.  Tatiana  Vassilievna 's  red  face  grew 
redder,  but  she  held  steadily  to  the  truth. 

"We  have  poured  out  fear,"  she  said  de- 
fiantly, "and  the  answer  left  no  room  for 


302  THE  CHALLENGE 

doubt.!'  The  priest's  little  eyes  narrowed  as 
they  searched  her  face.  They  studied  her 
keenly  for  a  moment,  and  then,  wandering  away 
in  search  of  evidence  elsewhere,  lighted  prompt- 
ly on  the  wax-covered  stone.  He  bent  to  it 
eagerly  and  studied  it  with  feverish  query  in  his 
eyes.  He  saw  in  it  at  once  the  resemblance  that 
the  rest  had  found,  but  the  recognition  seemed 
to  bring  to  him  a  different  thought  from  theirs, 
for  he  raised  himself  with  a  look  of  triumph  on 
his  face. 

"You  read  well,"  he  said  with,  quiet  scorn, 
"but  you  do  not  read  it  rightly  or  enough." 
Then,  turning  away  from  Tatiana  Vassilievna, 
he  addressed  himself  directly  to  the  man  on 
the  bed. 

"Do  you  believe,  Mikhail  Sergeievitch,  that 
because  you  found  the  strength  to  recognize  the 
outline  on  the  stone  that  it  will  serve  to  add  a 
further  license  to  your  miserable  days  f  Do  you 
not  see  that  in  that  figure  it  was  God  who  spoke 
and  that  He  let  you  see  it,  not  as  a  respite,  but 
to  remind  you  that  He  was  about  to  carry  out 
His  words?"  Mikhail  Etolin  did  not  answer, 
but  his  eyelids  quivered  spasmodically  and  he 
stirred  uncomfortably  in  his  place.  Simeon 


I  am  here  to  give  you  this  before  you  go."       Page  joj 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       303 

Gvosdef  watched  him  eagerly  for  a  moment  and 
then  turned  sharply  to  the  woman  at  his  side. 

" Stand  back!7'  he  cried  almost  fiercely. 
"  Would  you  take  it  on  your  soul  to  come  be- 
tween him  and  God!"  Tatiana  Vassilievna  re- 
treated involuntarily,  and  again  crossed  herself 
against  harm.  Simeon  Gvosdef,  with  his  head 
held  high,  passed  by  her  without  a  further  word, 
and  came  so  close  to  Mikhail  Etolin  that  he 
could  have  touched  him  if  he  would. 

"It  is  the  end,"  he  said  solemnly.  "It  has 
come,  and,  as  I  told  you,  I  am  here  to  give  you 
this  before  you  go. ' '  His  face  was  lighted  with 
his  old  fire  of  possession,  and  he  smiled  as  he 
put  his  hand  inside  his  gown.  When  he  took  it 
out  again  he  had  in  it  a  folded  passport,  which 
he  held  up  for  the  lieutenant  to  see. 

"You  thought  to  slip  away  alone,  Mikhail 
Sergeievitch,  "he  said  accusingly,  ( i  but  in 
spite  of  all  you  will  have  to  go  with  your  ar- 
raignment in  your  hand.  If  you  are  innocent, 
you  need  fear  no  harm.  But  if  you  are  guilty, 
God  will  know  what  punishment  to  give  you  for 
your  crime."  He  stood  for  a  moment  holding 
up  the  slip.  Then,  with  a  movement  that  was 
almost  imperceptible,  his  hand  began  to 


304:  THE  CHALLENGE 

stretch  toward  that  of  the  man  lying  on  the 
bed. 

Mikhail  Etolin  had  never  for  a  moment  taken 
his  eyes  from  his  tormentor's  face,  and  as  he 
watched  him  the  look  of  fascinated  horror  in 
them  deepened  and  grew  more  intense,  and  his 
lips  drew  back  until  he  showed  his  teeth  like  a 
wild  beast  brought  to  bay.  The  silent  duel 
lasted  till  the  two  hands  met.  Simeon  Gvosdef 
gave  a  little  shudder  at  the  contact  and  pushed 
the  paper  fiercely  down  into  the  other's  hand. 

"Moissei!"  he  cried  sharply.  "Moissei!" 
and  his  tone  was  almost  a  sob.  He  remained 
bent  down  above  his  enemy,  his  eyes  fixed  de- 
vouringly on  him  in  anticipation  of  the  com- 
ing change.  Behind  him,  Tatiana  Vassilievna 
was  crying  hysterically  to  herself,  and  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch,  undisturbed  by  the  drama  about 
him,  snored  noisily  on  his  bench. 

For  some  minutes  the  lieutenant's  eyes  re- 
turned defiantly  Simeon  Gvosdef 's  stare,  but 
little  by  little  the  light  went  out  of  them,  and  at 
last  the  lids  went  down.  The  priest  began 
praying  audibly  to  himself,  but  he  did  not  move 
nor  take  away  his  eyes  till  he  was  sure,  from  the 
dropped  jaw  and  sunken  head,  that  Mikhail 


THE  PASSING  OF  MIKHAIL       305 

Etolin  was  surely  dead.  Then  lie  reached  for- 
ward and  drew  out  the  paper  from  the  lieuten- 
ant's hand.  Straightening  himself,  he  turned 
with  a  bitter  smile  and  held  it  open  so  that 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  could  see. 

"It  was  his  fear  that  killed  him,"  he  said 
quietly.  ' '  See !  The  page  is  blank !  I  make  no 
accusation  of  him  on  it  there  at  all!" 


CHAPTER  XIII 

LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH 

Two  days  after  Mikhail  Etolin's  death,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  shook  from  his  feet  the  Ltua  dust 
and  went  out  by  the  regular  boat  to  Yakutat. 
The  intervening  time  had  served  to  see  the 
lieutenant  put  safely  under  ground,  though, 
through  protest  of  the  priest,  he  found  asylum 
on  the  mainland  instead  of  on  the  island,  where 
Moissei  Gvosdef  had  been  placed. 

By  virtue  of  his  association  with  the  lieuten- 
ant, it  fell  naturally  to  Ivan  Egorovitch  to  take 
up  his  work.  But  there  was  love  in  his  heart, 
and  his  blood  was  young,  and  the  sober  promise 
of  the  advancement  to  be  gained  by  staying  on 
in  Mikhail  Etolin's  shoes  weighed  lighter  with 
him  than  the  desire  to  look  again  into  Motrya 
Petrovna's  eyes. 

"You  can  look  after  things  as  well  as  I,"  he 
said  to  Stepan  Dmitrievitch.  "We  are  both  so 
young  that  it  is  sure  neither  of  us  will  be 

306 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          307 

billeted  permanently  in  the  place.  But  you  will 
have  a  chance  to  show  what  you  can  do  and  to 
make  a  record  that  will  help  you  later  on." 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  listened  to  the  plan  with 
less  satisfaction  than  his  blood-brother  would 
have  wished. 

"I  am  not  so  sure,"  he  said  cautiously.  "I 
had  been  thinking,  perhaps,  that  if  you  stayed 
here,  I  should  take  a  run  up  to  Yakutat  myself. ' ' 
Ivan  Egorovitch's  face  flushed  and  he  drew  up 
his  upper  lip. 

"I  think  that  I  am  entitled  to  first  chance," 
he  said  with  some  rigidity.  "And,  besides,  I 
have  been  ordered  to  go  up  for  trial,  and  there- 
fore have  no  choice."  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 's 
face  clouded,  and  he  yielded  the  point  with  ill- 
concealed  discontent. 

"How  long  shall  you  be  gone?"  he  asked 
moodily. 

"If  I  succeed,  it  may  be  some  time.  If  I  fail, 
I  shall  be  back  by  the  next  boat."  The  older 
brother  kept  his  eyes  averted  and  stood  rubbing 
the  palms  of  his  hands  together  slowly,  while 
he  gathered  the  courage  to  speak  what  was  in 
his  mind. 

"I  do  not  quite  know  why  I  stand  aside  for 


308  THE  CHALLENGE 

you  as  I  am  doing  in  this  matter,"  lie  said 
finally.  "I  suppose  it  is  because  you  have  al- 
ways been  quicker  and  more  decided  in  things 
than  I  am,  and  it  has  got  to  be  a  habit  with  me 
to  give  up  my  own  opinion  and  follow  in  your 
lead.  I  am  not  complaining  now  about  the  com- 
pact that  we  made,  though  I  have  a  feeling 
somehow  that  in  making  it  you  were  not  quite 
candid,  in  that  you  knew  you  had  the  advantage 
at  the  time.  You  certainly  have  come  nearer  to 
success  than  I,  and  though  I  am  a  fool,  I  sup- 
pose, to  do  it,  I  am  going  to  give  you  this  one 
more  chance.  I  will  stay  and  let  you  go  to 
Yakutat — but  you  have  got  to  promise  me  this 
one  thing.  You  will  remember  that  it  was 
agreed  between  us  that  if  either  one  found 
he  could  not  get  what  he  desired  he  would  help 
the  other  in  such  way  as  he  could.  I  am  help- 
ing you  now,  and  I  wish  you  to  promise  that  if, 
when  you  see  Motrya  Petrovna,  you  find  she  is 
not  for  you,  you  will  help  me  cheerfully  to  push 
my  claim."  Ivan  Egorovitch's  hand  came  out 
at  once  and  his  affectionate  sympathy  shone  out 
through  his  eyes. 

"You  did  not  need  to  ask,"  he  said  quickly. 
"If  I  fail,  I  will  send  or  bring  you  word." 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          309 

Stepan  Dmitrievitch  shook  his  head. 

"That  is  not  enough, "  he  said.  "The  word 
would  take  time  in  coming,  and  it  might  then  be 
too  late.  I  am  going  to  write  in  a  letter  what  I 
want  to  say,  and  you  shall  take  it  with  you  un- 
der promise  that,  if  you  fail,  you  will  put  it  in 
her  hand. 9 '  Ivan  Egorovitch  had  come  so  near 
to  certainty  with  Motrya  Petrovna  that  uncon- 
sciously he  thought  of  her  already  as  his  own. 

"You  might  as  decently  ask  a  man  to  carry  to 
his  wife  a  letter  from  a  lover, "  he  said  resent- 
fully. "I  could  not  do  it!" 

"Very  well,"  said  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  with 
quiet  dignity.  "Then  I  shall  either  send  it  by 
some  one  else  or  go  with  you  and  make  my  plea 
myself." 

Ivan  Egorovitch  thought  quickly  of  the 
chances  in  the  case.  It  gave  him  a  queer  feel- 
ing at  the  stomach  to  think  that  any  man, 
even  his  blood-brother,  should  address  Motrya 
Petrovna  in  the  terms- he  knew  this  letter  would 
contain.  And  yet  if  he  refused  to  carry  it, 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  was  capable  of  taking  ac- 
tion that  might  seriously  disarrange  his  plans. 
The  advantage  of  keeping  matters  in  his  own 
hand  was  so  palpably  apparent  that  he  swal- 


310  THE  CHALLENGE 

lowed  his  resentment  with  a  gulp  and  slapped 
Stepan  Dmitrievitch  smartly  on  the  back. 

"Forgive  me!"  he  cried.  "I  forgot  for  the 
moment  she  was  not  already  mine.  Write  your 
letter,  and,  on  my  honor,  I  will  hold  your  cause 
next  only  to  my  own." 

They  talked  no  more  about  it,  but  when  the 
hour  for  sailing  came,  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
brought  the  letter  properly  addressed  and  con- 
fided it  to  his  unwilling  messenger,  without 
further  instruction  as  to  how  it  should  be  used. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  placed  it  with  the  document 
given  him  by  Mikhail  Etolin,  which  contained 
the  statement  of  his  case,  and  strove  to  put  its 
possession  from  his  mind.  But  he  never  felt  it 
inside  his  coat  without  a  little  angry  thrill,  and 
more  than  once  the  resentful  impulse  came  to 
him  to  lose  it  by  dropping  it  secretly  overboard 
into  the  sea. 

His  thought  of  his  coming  trial  was  with- 
out fear  for  the  result.  Simeon  Gvosdef  went 
up  on  the  same  boat  as  himself,  ordered  no 
doubt  to  come  and  give  substantiation  to  his 
charge.  But  the  priest  was  a  changed  man,  now 
that  his  self -constituted  mission  had  come  suc- 
cessfully to  an  end.  He  sat  in  the  bow  of  the 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          311 

boat  in  absent-minded  self-communion  and 
scarcely  seemed  to  see  or  hear  those  who  were 
around  him  in  the  craft.  The  sailors  on  the 
boat  avoided  him.  There  was  something  un- 
canny to  them  about  his  connection  with 
Mikhail  Etolin's  death,  and  for  the  most  part 
they  were  content  to  leave  him  to  himself. 

When  the  boat  arrived  he  was  the  first  man 
ashore,  and  went  at  once  to  the  house  of  the 
commandant.  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  not  long 
behind,  and,  waiting  till  Simeon  Gvosdef  was 
done,  found  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  just  fin- 
ishing his  work  before  his  midday  meal. 

The  commandant  was  a  short  man,  spare  in 
build,  with  a  kindly  eye  and  a  long  beard  that 
was  already  turning  white.  He  looked  up  in- 
quiringly as  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  in,  and  see- 
ing that  he  was  a  stranger,  bowed  to  him  with 
friendly  ceremony  and  motioned  him  to  a 
seat. 

"Where  are  you  from?"  he  asked  with  evi- 
dent curiosity.  "I  do  not  remember  to  have 
seen  you  here  before. ' '  The  young  man  bowed 
respectfully,  but  remained  standing  in  his 
place. 

"I   am   Ivan   Egorovitch   Nilof,"   he    said. 


312  THE  CHALLENGE 

"You  will  perhaps  remember  thai;  you  sum- 
moned me  here  from  Ltua  to  answer  to 
a  charge."  The  commandant's  eyes  lifted 
abruptly  to  his  face,  and  he  looked  at  the  young 
man  searchingly  as  if,  by  this  means,  he  ex- 
pected to  read  out  of  him  the  truth. 

"Ah!"  he  said.  "You  are  the  young  man 
who  was  accused  by  the  priest."  He  continued 
to  look  his  visitor  over  curiously,  with  an  air  of 
puzzled  interest. 

"How  does  it  come  then,"  he  said,  "that  you 
are  here  without  a  guard?"  Ivan  Egorovitch 
smiled  and  lifted  his  shoulders  deprecatingly. 

"Mikhail  Sergeievitch  knew  me  so  well 
that,  when  the  order  came,  he  did  not  put  me 
under  arrest.  After  his  death  the  command 
devolved  on  me,  and  I  was  sufficiently  sure  of 
myself,  that  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  ap- 
point a  guard  to  bring  me  in."  There  was  an 
answering  gleam  of  humor  in  Aleksander  Nico- 
laievitch's  eyes,  but  he  kept  his  gravity  of  face 
and  went  on  impassively. 

"I  have  just  now  heard  from  Simeon  Gvosdef 
that  Mikhail  Etolin  is  dead,"  he  said,  "and  if 
the  priest  is  to  be  believed,  the  end  was  due  to 
a  strange  visitation  of  God."  Ivan  Egorovitch 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          313 

took  a  quick  step  forward  and  his  hands  went 
out  in  eager  denial  of  the  charge. 

"It  was  not  God,  but  Simeon  Gvosdef  that 
brought  Mikhail  Etolin  to  his  end!"  he  cried 
excitedly.  "He  did  it  to  punish  him,  because 
he  thought  the  lieutenant  had  killed  his  son. 
Mikhail  Etolin  had  trouble  with  his  heart 
and  could  not  breathe,  and  the  priest  made  shift 
to  bring  on  the  attacks  until  he  wore  him  to  his 
death.  He  is  a  fiend,"  he  added  with  convic- 
tion. The  commandant  turned  up  his  long 
beard  with  his  hand,  and  bit  the  end  of  it  ab- 
sently as  he  listened. 

"And  the  death  of  the  priest's  son,"  he  said 
after  a  little  pause,  "was  it  really  a  murder  as 
was  claimed?" 

"No!  It  was  a  legal  execution  for  a  just 
cause.  Mikhail  Etolin 's  only  connection  with  it 
was  that,  as  a  judge,  it  came  to  him  to  order  the 
thing  done."  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  consid- 
ered the  statement  in  silence  for  some  moments 
before  he  spoke. 

"And  you,"  he  said,  "did  you  take  the 
priest's  bell  as  he  has  charged?" 

"No!"  replied  the  young  man  indignantly. 
"It  was  lost  in  the  water  while  I  was  trying  to 


314  THE  CHALLENGE 

save  him  from  being  drowned."  The  com- 
mandant's keen  eyes  fixed  themselves  on  Ivan 
Egorovitch's  face  with  a  gravity  that  was  al- 
most accusation. 

' i  Have  you  any  proof  of  this  besides  your 
own  word?"  he  demanded  sternly. 

"Yes,"  said  the  young  man.  "There  is  this 
letter  that  Mikhail  Etolin  wrote  the  day  be- 
fore he  died."  He  put  the  packet  in  Aleksan- 
der  Nicolaievitch  's  hand  and  waited  impatiently 
while  it  was  being  read.  The  commandant  made 
no  sign  until  he  had  reached  the  end,  and  even 
then,  for  some  moments,  he  sat  thinking  silently, 
as  if  trying  to  arrange  the  details  of  the  matter 
in  his  mind.  When  he  turned  to  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch,  it  was  with  a  less  severe  expression  on 
his  face,  and  he  waved  his  hand  again  toward 
the  seat  he  had  pointed  out  at  first. 

"Sit  down,"  he  said,  "and  let  us  talk  this 
matter  over  as  we  should." 

The  young  man  accepted  gratefully  the  prof- 
fered courtesy,  and  awaited  in  silence  what 
Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  would  do  next.  The 
commandant  folded  up  the  letter  carefully  and 
filed  it  in  a  compartment  of  his  desk.  He  leaned 
back  in  his  chair,  so  that  his  glance  went  directly 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          315 

out  above  the  young  man's  head,  and  with  the 
balls  of  his  fingers  he  drummed  lightly  on  the 
wood. 

"It  is  a  curious  thing, "  he  said  finally,  "and 
a  strange  one.  When  the  priest  first  made  the 
charge  I  had  the  feeling  that  there  was  some- 
thing behind  it  that  had  not  yet  appeared." 
He  paused  for  a  moment  and  then  added  ir- 
relevantly, "Mikhail  Etolin  was  a  good  man." 
Ivan  Egorovitch  remained  silent,  though  he 
bowed  a  respectful  assent.  The  commandant 
continued  in  his  reverie,  and  seemed  to  have 
forgotten  the  young  man  was  there  at  all. 
When  he  did  speak  it  was  as  if  he  were  answer- 
ing a  question  put  to  him  by  some  one  else. 

"There  is  the  trouble,"  he  said  impatiently. 
' l  Whichever  way  I  decide  it,  some  one  is  going 
to  complain.  If  I  punish  you,  you  are  going  to 
think  it  unjust.  If  I  do  not  punish  you,  there 
will  be  a  scandal  with  the  church,  and  every  one 
will  hear  of  it  from  here  to  Russia.  No ! "  he 
said  with  a  sudden  shake  of  the  head.  "There 
must  be  a  punishment  of  some  kind.  Not  be- 
cause you  are  guilty  and  deserve  that  it  should 
be  imposed,  but  because  otherwise  they  will  al- 
ways say  I  was  unjust.  I'll  tell  you  what  we 


316  THE  CHALLENGE 

will  do,"  he  cried  with  sudden  animation. 
"You  do  not  know  any  one,  do  you,  here  in 
Yakutat?" 

"No!"  said  the  young  man  with  astonish- 
ment. 

"Then  it  will  not  hurt  you  to  stand  on  the 
stump.  That  is  as  easy  a  punishment  as  I  could 
give.  The  customary  fasting  I  shall  not  require. 
You  shall  come  and  eat  with  me  this  noon,  and 
then  go  about  your  penance  until  dark." 

It  was  an  easy  compromise,  and  while  in  his 
heart  Ivan  Egorovitch  resented  punishment  at 
all,  he  brought  himself  obediently  to  agree  to  it. 
But  it  was  a  trial  to  him,  that  he  must  give  up 
so  many  hours  before  beginning  search  for  the 
girl  he  had  come  to  find,  and  the  inner  disap- 
pointment showed  like  a  shadow  on  his  face. 
The  commandant  saw  it,  and  rising,  laid  his 
hand  upon  his  arm. 

6 '  I  know  it  is  hard, ' '  he  said  kindly, ' '  but  I  be- 
lieve it  is  the  easiest  way  to  bring  the  matter  to 
an  end.  Will  it  help  you  to  say  that  Mikhail 
Etolin  has  asked,  and  I  am  going  to  grant,  that 
you  shall  go  back  to  Ltua  in  his  place?  This, 
of  course,  is  only  temporary,  but  I  shall  ask  at 
Arkangelsk  that  the  appointment  be  confirmed. 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          317 

No.  No  words  about  it.  Come.  It  is  time  for 
us  to  go  and  eat."  He  drew  the  young  man 
gently  away  and  began  to  talk  of  other  things. 
When  the  meal  was  finished  the  commandant 
went  with  him  to  the  door. 

"I  am  going  to  do  by  you  as  well  as  you  have 
done  by  me,"  he  said  with  a  smile.  "  You  came 
and  delivered  yourself  without  a  guard  to  bring 
you  in.  Give  me  your  word  that,  having  found 
a  stump,  you  will  not  leave  it  until  dark,  and  I 
will  trust  you  to  go  to  punishment  without  crier 
or  restraint  or  guard  to  set  you  out.  I  think; 
you  will  find  a  stump  yonder  by  that  further 
house,  which  is  cut  so  low  that  when  you  stand 
on  it  no  one  would  know  that  you  were  off  the 
ground.  Eeport  to  me  when  you  are  done,  and 
I  will  find  you  a  place  to  sleep."  The  young 
man  laughed  and  turned  to  him  with  grateful 
eyes. 

"You  are  very  good  to  me,"  he  said.  "You 
have  my  word  that  in  all  things  I  will  carry  out 
the  sentence  as  I  should." 

He  went  out  into  the  sunlight  and  moved 
leisurely  across  to  the  place  the  commandant 
had  pointed  out.  He  found  the  stump  without 
difficulty,  and  recognized  how  careful  Aleksan- 


318  THE  CHALLENGE 

der  Nicolaievitch  had  been  in  choosing  it  to  pro- 
tect him  from  unpleasantness  in  the  task  he  had 
imposed.  The  tree  had  been  cut  off  a  few 
inches  above  the  ground,  and  was  large  enough 
so  that  he  could  change  position  on  it  and  move 
from  side  to  side.  More  than  that,  it  com- 
manded a  full  view  both  of  the  post  and  the  har- 
bor at  its  foot. 

Ivan  Egorovitch  took  his  place  on  it  with  a 
sense  of  amusement  rather  than  of  shame.  He 
looked  back  at  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch 's 
house  to  note  if  the  commandant  watched  to 
see  how1  his  order  was  being  carried  out.  But 
there  was  no  one  there  in  sight,  and  he  felt  a 
thrill  of  pride  as  he  realized  the  trust  that 
had  been  placed  in  him. 

As  the  commandant  had  promised,  he  found 
much  to  see.  The  place  was  far  more  preten- 
tious than  the  post  that  he  had  left,  and,  with- 
out the  native  village  near  the  sea,  must  have 
sheltered  nearly  three  hundred  souls.  The  har- 
bor, too,  was  full  of  great  and  small  canoes,  and 
a  two-masted  ship  lay  in  among  them  with  sails 
unloosed  for  drying,  so  that  they  hung  in  long 
festoons.  A  constant  stream  of  smaller  boats 
moved  back  and  forth  between  the  vessel 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          319 

and  the  shore,  and,  in  the  clear  air,  he  could 
hear  from  it  the  orders  as  they;  were  shouted  to 
the  men. 

Near-by  there  was  more  quiet,  and  less  to  oc- 
cupy his  mind.  No  one  in  the  hamlet  seemed  to 
guess  why  he  remained  so  steadfastly  in  the  one 
small  space.  The  native  boys  discovered  him 
and  paused,  wide-eyed,  to  watch  him  where  he 
stood.  Once,  a  woman,  moved  by  his  unfamil- 
iarity,  stopped  and  regarded  him  with  so  fixed 
a  gaze  that  he  thought  his  secret  surely  pub- 
lished to  the  world.  But  her  interest  passed 
without  a  close  approach,  and  after  some  dis- 
turbing moments  she  went  quietly  away. 

For  an  hour  his  attention  brought  enough  to 
occupy  his  mind,  but  after  that  the  spectacle 
began  to  pall.  There  commenced  to  stir  within 
him  the  impatient  longing  to  be  again  about  his 
search.  And  he  found  himself  running  with  his 
eyes  from  house  to  house  all  over  the  little 
place,  in  the  hope  that  somehow  the  recognition 
would  come  to  him  in  which  one  Motrya 
Petrovna  had  found  place. 

It  was  a  fruitless  quest,  however,  and  grad- 
ually he  ceased  to  watch  closely  the  things  that 
passed  about  him  and  allowed  himself  to  be- 


320  THE  CHALLENGE 

come  more  and  more  preoccupied  with  what  was 
passing  in  his  mind. 

And  so  it  happened  that  when  Motrya 
Petrovna  did  come  out  he  did  not  see  her  and 
had  no  premonition  of  her  presence  until  she 
was  near  at  hand.  She  saw  him  first  and  stood 
still  and  looked  at  him  without  a  word.  Her 
first  instinct  seemed  to  be  for  flight,  but,  seeing 
that  he  was  not  conscious  of  her  presence,  she 
stood  her  ground  and  watched  him  intently. 

He  saw  her  after  a  minute  and  moved  as  if 
to  go  to  her.  But  the  recollection  of  his  parole 
rose  up  in  him  and  he  checked  himself  and 
waited  in  his  turn.  She  saw  the  struggle  in  him 
and  misinterpreted  it,  and,  after  waiting  a  little 
time  for  him  to  come,  lifted  up  her  head  proudly 
and  went  on  as  if  about  to  pass  him  without 
recognition.  He  delayed  until  she  was  fully  op- 
posite him  and  her  intention  could  not  be  mis- 
understood. Then  with  an  effort  he  put  down 
his  pride  and  called  to  her. 

"Motrya,"  he  said,  "are  you  not  going  to 
speak  to  me?"  She  stopped  at  once  and  turned 
to  him  and,  as  he  had  noticed  before  when  she 
was  excited,  the  color  began  to  rise  swiftly  in 
her  cheeks. 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          321 

' '  Oh,  it  is  you,  then ! ' '  she  said  coolly.  ' i  You 
did  not  come  to  me  and  I  thought  it  must  be 
some  one  else." 

"I  could  not  come,"  returned  the  young  man 
humbly.  "I  have  given  my  word  that  I  will 
stay  here  in  this  place."  She  listened  with 
curiosity,  and  after  a  moment's  hesitation  came 
nearer,  till  she  was  within  arm's  length  of  where 
he  stood.  Then  she  saw  the  stump  and  com- 
prehended. 

"You  are  a  prisoner,"  she  said  with  the  air 
of  one  interested  simply  by  the  fact  rather  than 
by  any  instinct  of  surprise  or  sympathy. 

"Yes,"  he  answered  with  constraint  as  rigid 
as  her  own.  "I  was  brought  here  from  Ltua  to 
answer  to  the  charge  that  I  had  stolen  Simeon 
Gvosdefs  bell."  The  girl's  face  clouded  and 
she  let  her  eyes  go  down. 

"Oh,"  she  said  vaguely,  "that  is  why  you 
came!"  Ivan  Egorovitch  felt  his  heart  stir, 
for  slight  as  the  change  in  her  was,  it  carried  to 
him  that  she  had  been  looking  for  his  coming, 
though  she  had  not  owned  the  feeling  as  a  real 
hope. 

"That  is  the  reason  why  I  am  a  prisoner 
here,"  he  said  with  such  quietness  as  he  could 


322  THE  CHALLENGE 

command.  "But  I  think  you  know  the  reason 
that,  with  you  here,  has  made  it  impossible  for 
me  to  stay  away."  She  lifted  her  eyes  to  him 
in  one  quick  glance,  and  then  as  quickly  let  them 
down  again. 

"The  whole  thing  was  foolish,  I  suppose," 
she  said  slowly,  "but  it  seems  to  have  served  as 
well  as  another  to  bring  punishment  to  you." 
He  gave  a  little  exclamation  and  nodded  a  vig- 
orous assent. 

"Punishment?"  he  cried.  "There  has  been 
punishment  for  me  every  moment  since  you 
went  away!"  Motrya  Petrovna  did  not  look  at 
him,  but  she  made  an  impatient  movement  with 
her  head. 

"That  is  not  what  I  meant,"  she  said.  "I 
was  thinking  of  Simeon  Gvosdef  and  the  accusa- 
tion that  he  made. ' ' 

"But  what  I  said  is  true,  too,"  insisted  the 
young  man  earnestly.  "So  true  that  I  came 
all  this  way  after  you,  because  I  was  sure  that 
when  you  had  time  to  think  it  over,  you  yourself 
would  feel  it  was  a  mistake."  The  girl's  atti- 
tude remained  as  uncompromising  as  before  and 
she  resolutely  turned  away  her  face. 

"Why  were  you  not  truthful  with  me,  as  you 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          323 

made  me  think  ? ' '  she  said,  and  there  was  an  em- 
phasis that  was  resentful  in  her  voice.  "I 
think  I  could  have  forgiven  the  things  them- 
selves that  happened,  but  the  fact  that  you  de- 
ceived me  is  not  so  easy  to  forget. ' '  It  was  on 
the  young  man's  tongue  to  deny  strenuously  the 
charge  she  made.  But  he  remembered  vividly, 
how  far,  before,  the  same  denial  had  set  him 
from  success,  and  so  was  chary  of  venturing  on 
it  now.  He  came  as  near  to  her  as  the  limit  of 
his  prison  would  allow  and  bent  forward  eagerly 
to  make  appeal. 

"Motrya,"  he  said,  "in  all  these  long  days, 
have  you  not  had  time  to  think  what  it  will  mean 
for  us  both  if  we  allow  ourselves  to  drift 
apart!" 

"Yes,  I  have  thought  of  it,"  she  answered 
quietly.  "Did  you  think  it  would  be  an  easy 
thing  for  me  to  forget!" 

"No!  No!  You  could  not!"  he  cried  impul- 
sively. "We  have  been  too  near!  Ah,  I  knew 
you  would  remember,"  he  added  softly  and  put 
out  his  hands. 

"Wait!"  sh'e  said.  "I  did  remember,  Ivan. 
In  these  dreadful  days  I  think  there  has  come 
back  to  me  every  word  and  deed  that  ever 


324  THE  CHALLENGE 

passed  between  us.  I  have  thought  of  our 
promise  and  the  happiness  that  was  to  come — 
but  always  at  the  end,  Ivan,  I  have  had  to  think 
what  the  prospect  for  that  happiness  really  was, 
so  long  as  between  you  and  me  there  was  not 
perfect  trust. " 

"But  you  love  me!"  he  broke  in  eagerly. 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  she  said.  "I  do  love 
you — but  that  is  not  enough." 

"Oh!  It  could  be  enough!"  he  cried  wist- 
fully. 

"Yes,"  she  answered.  "I  suppose  that  I 
could  give  it  all,  but  would  not  that  be  rather 
hard  on  me?" 

' '  But  I  would  give  so  much ! "  he  said.  ' '  Can 
you  not  believe  that  even  if  it  were  true  that  I 
failed  you  that  one  time,  I  have  had  my  lesson 
and  my  punishment,  and  the  thing  would  never 
occur  again?"  She  considered  a  moment  and 
slowly  shook  her  head. 

"You  do  not  know  yourself,  Ivan,"  she  said. 
"If  you  had  it  to  do  over  again,  it  would  be  just 
the  same." 

'  '  Try  me, ' '  he  insisted  sturdily.  ' '  I  hold  you 
before  everything  else  in  life."  She  looked  at 
him  curiously  with  searching  eyes. 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          325 

X 

"What  would  you  do  for  me,"  she  said,  "if  I 
should  ask  it  ? " 

"There  is  nothing  I  would  not  attempt. 
What  is  it  that  you  wish?"  She  waited  again 
as  if  deciding  whether,  in  the  asking,  she  was 
yielding  him  too  much.  Then,  with  a  face  that 
was  frankly  troubled  she  turned  to  him. 

'  '  My  father  is  going  to  send  me  back  to  Rus- 
sia," she  said.  "If  I  should  ask  it,  would  you 
help  me  to  get  away  and  take  me  to  my  sister  in 
Ltua  ? ' '  The  young  man  could  have  shouted  in 
his  joy  that  she  should  wish  to  stay. 

"Will  I  help  you?"  he  declared  radiantly. 
' '  The  whole  thing  shall  be  arranged  for  you  to- 
night." 

"No,"  returned  the  girl  quickly,  "if  the  start 
is  to  be  made  it  must  be  done  this  afternoon ! ' ' 

"But  I  can  not!"  he  said  in  some  dismay. 
"Until  dark  I  have  been  set  here  on  parole." 
The  girl's  face  hardened  and  she  made  a  con- 
temptuous motion  with  her  hands. 

"Did  not  I  tell  you,  Ivan?"  she  said  ironi- 
cally. "It  was  the  old  promise  that  you  made, 
of  more  than  you  are  willing  to  perform. ' ' 

"But  what  difference  can  it  make !"  cried  the 
young  man  protestingly. 


326  THE  CHALLENGE 

"This  at  least/'  she  said,  "that  as  a  test  you 
invited  me  to  ask  of  you  that  which  I  would 
most  rather  have  you  do.  It  is  the  one  thing  on 
which  I  have  set  my  heart. "  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch's  face  grew  graver  and  he  fairly  wrung 
his  hands. 

"You  are  asking  me  to  do  as  a  reparation, " 
he  said  scornfully,  "the  very  thing  which,  when 
you  thought  I  had  done  it  toward  you,  you  found 
an  unforgivable  offense.  I  have  never  broken 
my  word  with  any  one,  and  how  can  I  do  it  now 
with  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch,  who  has  been  to 
me  so  very  kind?" 

The  girl's  wilfulness  began  to  sparkle  into 
anger  under  his  continued  opposition  to  her 
will.  There  was  a  touch  of  her  father's  ob- 
stinacy in  her  disposition,  and  while  in  testing 
his  love  she  had  only  thought  to  make  him 
suffer  becomingly  before  yielding  to  his  suit,  she 
found  this  sudden  obstacle  make  the  way  to 
reconciliation  much  more  hard. 

"There  is  another  reason,  and  a  good  one," 
she  said  loftily,  "but  I  took  your  word  that  to 
have  you  do  a  thing  I  had  only  to  express  it  as 
a  wish. ' 9 

"That  is  true,"  he  said  doggedly,  "but,  be- 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          327 

lieving  that  you  loved  me,  it  never  occurred  to 
me  in  promising,  that  in  the  asking  you  would 
not  hold  my  honor  as  your  own."  The  girl's 
face  crimsoned,  and  he  could  see  the  tears  start 
in  her  eyes. 

"Then  you  will  not  do  it!"  she  said,  speaking 
scarcely  above  a  whisper. 

"I  have  no  choice, "  he  answered  simply. 
"If  it  were  to  help  another  it  might  perhaps  be 
done.  But  where  the  benefit  would  be  for  my- 
self it  would  be  for  me  a  crime ! ' ' 

' l  Oh,  you  must  do  it !  You  must ! ' '  she  cried 
with  sudden  passionate  abandon.  "You  will 
lose  me,  Ivan,  if  you  do  not  take  me  away  this 
afternoon. ' ' 

"God  help  me,  then!"  he  said.  "I  can  not 
do  it !"  She  gave  a  little  sob  and  turned  away 
from  him.  He  thought  she  was  going  without  a 
word,  but  after  a  moment  she  came  back  to  him 
and  stretched  out  her  hand. 

"Good-by,"  she  said,  with  tremulous  softness. 

"Good-by,"  he  answered  mechanically,  and 
waited  dully  to  see  what  she  would  do.  For  all 
her  preparation,  she  could  not  bring  herself  to 
go,  and  lingered  irresolutely  with  her  hand  in 
his.  The  fear  began  to  grow  in  her  that,  after 


328  THE  CHALLENGE 

all,  she  could  not  bend  him  to  her  will,  and  the 
fierce  necessity  of  doing  this,  if  she  were  not  to 
lose  him  for  all  time,  stirred  her  to  something 
near  to  desperation. 

"Ivan,"  she  said  after  a  moment's  silence, 
"if  it  were  to  help  another,  would  it  make  it 
easier  for  you  to  break  your  word  and  go  ? " 

"That  would  depend,",  he  said  cautiously, 
"both  on  the  person  and  the  need."  She  drew 
closer  to  him  and  put  her  other  hand  caressingly 
upon  his  breast. 

"Is  it  not  enough  that  it  is  my  happiness  that 
is  in  the  balance  ? ' '  she  entreated.  ' '  Surely  you 
would  do  for  me  what  you  would  do  for  an- 
other." The  young  man  groaned  in  his  em- 
barrassment and  lifted  her  fingers  reverently  to 
his  lips. 

"I  would  do  anything  for  you  that  was 
right,"  he  said  brokenly.  "But  can  you  not 
see  that  in  helping  you  to  your  happiness  I 
should  only  be  helping  myself  to  my  own  1 ' '  She 
was  manifestly  disappointed  and  hastily  drew 
away  her  hands. 

"Why  are  you  so  sure  of  that!"  she  said 
with  well-assumed  coolness.  "You  are  not  the 
only  one  in  Ltua  who  would  be  glad  to  see  me 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          329 

back."  Ivan  Egorovitch 's  face  darkened  and 
he  shut  his  teeth  together  with  a  snap. 

"Then  it  was  true,"  he  said  sneeringly,  "that 
you  encouraged  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  the  day 
you  came  away!" 

"Perhaps,"  she  said  demurely.  "Why 
should  I  not,  if  I  chose?" 

"Because,"  he  almost  shouted,  "you  belong 
to  me,  and  I  will  not  have  you  looking  at  any 
other  man!"  She  listened  to  his  pronounce- 
ment with  a  little  sigh  of  content  She  was 
surer  of  her  ground  now  and  waited  gravely  till 
he  was  in  calmer  mood. 

"Softly,"  she  cried.  "You  forget  that  just 
this  moment  you  gave  me  up  and  were  going  to 
let  me  go  away. ' '  He  looked  at  her  in  bewilder- 
ment, and  then  sat  down  and  covered  his  face 
with  his  hands. 

"Go!"  he  said;  "go!  You  are  tempting  me 
beyond  my  strength."  The  girl's  eyes  glis- 
tened with  a  sudden  access  of  tenderness,  but 
with  an  effort  she  held  herself  in  check. 

"Stepan  Dmitrievitch,"  she  demanded,  "was 
he  at  Ltua  when  you  came  away?"  Ivan 
Egorovitch  nodded  without  raising  his  head. 

"Why  dM  he  not  come  to  Yakutat?    He  told 


330  THE  CHALLENGE 

me  tliat  lie  would."  The  young  man  writhed 
under  the  examination,  but  he  was  honest 
enough  to  tell  her  the  whole  truth. 

"We  could  not  both  come,"  he  said  sullenly, 
"and  he  was  the  one  who  stayed." 

' l  Then  he  stood  aside  for  you? ' '  she  persisted. 

"Yes,"  he  admitted.  "He  stood  aside  for 
me." 

"Poor  Stepan!"  she  said  softly,  and  watched 
to  see  how  he  would  take  the  words.  "Was 
there  no  message?"  she  continued.  "Did  he 
send  no  word  to  me  ? ' r  Ivan  Egorovitch  waited 
before  answering,  till  he  could  hold  his  voice 
under  command. 

"Yes,"  he  admitted,  "there  was  a  letter." 

"A  letter?"  she  repeated  with  genuine  sur- 
prise. "Why  then  have  you  not  given  it  to 
me?" 

"Because,"  he  answered  moodily,  "there  are 
things  in  it  I  could  not  bear  to  have  you  see ! ' ' 

"You  know  then  what  is  in  it?"  she  asked 
with  increased  surprise. 

"Yes,"  he  said  doggedly,  "he  told  me  what 
was  in  it  before  he  put  it  in  my  hand." 
Motrya  Petrovna  felt  a  curious  resentment  as 
she  listened  to  his  words.  She  was  so  sure  in 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          331 

her  heart  that  she  belonged  to  him,  that  it  came 
as  a  dishonor,  that  he  should  let  another  even 
think  to  send  her  messages  of  love,  and  for  a 
moment  she  forgot  entirely  the  part  she  had  in 
hand. 

"You  let  him  give  you  a  letter  that  you  knew 
made  love  to  me ! ' '  she  cried,  and  there  was  al- 
most horror  in  her  tone.  "And  you  have  kept 
it  in  your  pocket  for  two  days?"  Her  change 
of  tone  was  so  compelling  that  Ivan  Egorovitch 
raised  his  head. 

"Yes,"  he  said  dully,  "it  was  the  only  way  I 
could  get  him  to  stay  behind."  Motrya 
Petrovna  recovered  herself  almost  instantly  and 
held  out  her  hand. 

"Well,  give  it  to  me!"  she  said  with  a  little 
hysteric  laugh,  but  Ivan  Egorovitch  shook  his 
head. 

"No,"  he  said  drearily,  "I  was  not  to  give  it 
to  you,  till  I  had  surely  lost  all  hope."  Again 
there  was  the  gleam  of  pity  in  Motrya  Petrov- 
na's  eyes  and  she  made  an  involuntary  move- 
ment as  if  to  go  to  him.  But  the  game  was 
too  near  the  end  now  to  be  abandoned  for  a 
whim  and  she  steadied  herself  for  the  closing 
scene. 


332  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Then  surely,"  she  said  at  last,  "there  is  no 
longer  reason  for  delay."  He  made  no  move- 
ment toward  compliance,  but  sat  dumbly  star- 
ing at  the  ground. 

"Give  it  to  me  at  once!"  she  commanded, 
stamping  her  foot  to  emphasize  her  claim.  "I 
demand  it  as  a  right!" 

He  hesitated  a  moment  longer  and  then,  put- 
ting his  hand  inside  his  blouse,  he  drew  out  the 
packet  and  gave  it  to  her  without  a  word.  Then, 
rising,  he  turned  his  back  to  her  and  went  as  far 
away  as  possible,  that  he  might  not  see  her  as 
she  read.  She  stood  with  the  letter  in  her  hand, 
as  she  had  taken  it,  and  watched  him  with  her 
eyes  wet  with  tears.  She  made  no  effort  to  open 
the  packet  and,  after  a  moment,  with  a  stealthy 
movement,  as  if  in  fear  that  he  would  see  her, 
placed  it  unread  within  the  bosom  of  her  dress. 
Then,  after  a  brief  interval,  she  spoke  to  the 
dejected  figure  on  the  stump. 

"Ivan,"  she  said,  and  in  spite  of  her,  her 
voice  trembled  so  that  she  was  fearful  he 
would  understand.  "If  I  should  ask  you  to 
keep  your  promise  to  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  and 
take  me  to  him  to-day,  would  you  do  it?" 


LOVE  AND  GOOD  FAITH          333 

He  gave  a  little  sob  at  the  question,  but  did 
not  turn  around. 

"  I  could  not,"  he  said  huskily.  "And  be- 
sides, where  is  the  need?" 

"Listen,"  she  said.  "I  wish  to  tell  you  now 
my  other  reason.  The  vessel  there  sails  to-day 
at  six  o'clock  and  unless  I  go  before  that  time  it 
will  be  too  late."  He  straightened  himself  as 
if  he  had  been  struck  and  turned  to  her  at  once. 

"Why  did  you  not  tell  me  that  at  first?"  he 
demanded  resentfully.  She  felt  her  pulses  leap 
as  she  saw  how  her  diplomacy  was  bringing  her 
success.  Her  impulse  was  to  tell  the  truth  and 
trust  his  heart  to  overcome  his  head.  But 
there  still  lingered  in  her  the  warning  dread  lest 
all  his  scruples  should  not  yet  be  set  aside  and 
she  found  strength  to  go  on  with  her  deception 
to  the  end. 

"What  matters  it,"  she  said,  "now  that  you 
know  the  need?" 

"If  I  had  known  it,"  he  returned  resentfully, 
' '  I  might  have  taken  you  for  myself. ' '  She  held 
up  her  hand  in  interruption. 

6 1  Do  not  mistake, ' '  she  cried  warningly.  ' '  It 
is  not  for  you  that  I  am,  seeking  it.  Will  you 
for  Stepan  Dmitrievitch's  sake — and  mine— 


334  THE  CHALLENGE 

take  me  to  Ltua  as  I  have  asked ?"  He  hesi- 
tated a  moment  only  and  then  stepped  down 
from  the  stump. 

' '  I  am  beaten ! "  he  said  querulously.    * '  I  will 
go  with  you  where  you  will. ' ' 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  FLIGHT 

She  took  him  by  the  hand  and  drew  him  back 
among  the  thicker  growth  of  trees  and,  skirting 
round  the  little  group  of  houses  so  that  no  one 
in  the  settlement  might  see,  they  came  presently 
to  the  edge  of  the  timber  and  the  beach.  Ivan 
Egorovitch  moved  as  in  a  dream  and  let  her  lead 
him  anywhere  she  would. 

She  had  chosen  a  point  of  refuge  out  toward 
the  southern  headland,  at  the  farthest  end  of 
the  sharp  bight  that  limits  with  its  curve  the 
inner  harbor  line.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  the 
elation  of  her  victory  and  she  assumed  control 
with  the  certainty  of  one  whose  authority  is 
generously  assured.  Arrived  at  the  water,  she 
stood  for  a  moment  looking  up  and  down,  and 
then  drew  back  to  a  sheltered  place  against  a 
little  bluff. 

66  Wait  here,"  she  said,  "I  think  I  know  a  man 
who  will  furnish  us  a  boat."  He  sat  down  on 

335 


336  THE  CHALLENGE 

the  ground  without  a  word,  and  with  a  smile  of 
encouragement,  which  failed  to  bring  from  him 
equivalent  response,  she  left  him  and  went 
swiftly  off  along  the  beach. 

He  watched  her  dully,  till  she  was  out  of  sight, 
and  then  drew  in  his  glance  in  passive  apathy, 
until  it  compassed  a  field  of  vision  no  wider 
than  the  sand- waves  at  his  feet.  He  had  come 
to  the  end  of  his  tether  for  the  time  and,  with 
the  restraint  of  it  dragging  unremittingly  at 
his  heart,  felt  that  the  strings  of  his  activity 
were  loosened  so  he  could  touch  them,  for  the 
present,  to  no  harmonious  accord. 

But  though  the  warm  sunshine,  the  play  of 
light  on  the  blue  levels  of  the  bay  and  the  cheer- 
ful noises  of  the  loading  ship  brought  no  stir  of 
interest  to  his  light-blinded  eyes,  within  him, 
like  the  settings  in  a  play,  there  ran  and  shifted, 
with  kaleidoscopic  swiftness,  the  tragic  group- 
ings of  the  events  of  the  last  few  days. 

He  felt  again  the  soft  touch  on  his  lips  that 
had  betrayed  him  into  Motrya's  father's  hands. 
He  saw  the  girl's  wild  flight  in  the  madness  of 
her  first  unreasoning  distaste.  He  burned  with 
the  recollection  of  Stepan  Dmitri evitch's  un- 
welcome love.  But,  most  of  all,  in  the  very 


THE  FLIGHT  337 

porches  of  his  ears,  there  stirred,  like  a  whir  of 
bees,  the  cut  and  play  of  that  last  dialogue  that 
had  stripped  away  the  shams  of  hope  and  happi- 
ness that  he  had  so  carefully  built  up  and  left 
him,  after  it  had  passed,  high  stranded  above 
the  sea  of  active  purpose,  with  nothing  but  his 
bits  of  wreckage  round  him  in  the  sand. 

He  had  lost  the  woman  he  loved — that 
was  the  staggering  weight  which  was  holding 
down  the  world.  And  it  was  an  irony  to  him, 
that  for  all  his  struggle  to  comprehend  why  the 
catastrophe  had  fallen  as  it  had,  there  still  re- 
mained to  him  a  baffling  sense  of  ignorance  as 
to  how  it  all  had  come  about.  It  was  a  further 
irony,  too,  that,  having  lost  Motrya  Petrovna 
for  himself,  chance  should  have  put  on  him  the 
bitter  burden  of  saving  her  simply  that  she 
might  make  a  Heaven  for  another  man. 

And  yet,  in  all  his  blind  lashing  out  at  fate, 
it  did  not  come  to  him  to  think  that  he  could 
fail  her  in  her  need.  To  the  engrossing  fond- 
ness of  his  passion  it  seemed  better  to  be  near 
her  even  when  she  proved  unkind,  rather  than 
somewhere  else -where  her  face  would  be  hid- 
den from  him  and  he  could  no  longer  catch  the 
inspiration  of  her  look.  And  more  than  this, 


338  THE  CHALLENGE 

down  in  the  inner  holy  of  his  heart,  there 
burned,  like  a  sacred  fire,  that  real  love  for  the 
mate  whom  he  had  sought,  which  made  it  bind- 
ing on  him  to  seek  happiness  for  her,  no  matter 
at  what  trouble  to  himself. 

Over  and  over,  he  went  groping  round  the 
walls  of  this  black  mental  prison,  feeling  with 
eager  hands  each  bar  and  stone,  in  pathetic  hope 
that  he  would  find  some  turning  slab,  some 
loosened  bolt,  some  unexpected  outlet  toward 
escape.  He  was  still  moving  blindly  in  the  per- 
plexing round,  when  he  felt  a  touch  on  his 
shoulder,  and,  rising  with  a  start,  saw  through 
his  confusion  that  she  had  come  back  and  was 
standing  at  his  side.  Behind  her  was  a  short 
man,  half  of  native  blood,  who  stood  looking 
from  her  to  him  with  an  air  of  shrewd  good 
humor  that  was  at  once  quizzical  and  kind. 

"This  is  Piotr  Ivanovitch  Shakhof,"  she  said, 
"and  he  has  found  for  us  a  boat."  The  new- 
comer bowed  low  to. Ivan  Egorovitch,  lifting  his 
cap  with  both  hands. 

"It  is  a  ticklish  business,"  he  said  out- 
spokenly, ' i  and  one  which,  like  as  not,  will  bring 
me  under  the  law — to  say  nothing  of  the  loss, 
if  by  any  chance,  you  should  fail  to  return  the 


THE  FLIGHT  339 

boat.  But  sympathy  is  stronger  than  prudence 
in  a  man,  and  if  I  were  in  your  place  I  should 
ask  no  less  myself. ' ' 

He  bowed  again  to  Ivan  Egorovitch  with  a 
sidewise  sweep  in  the  direction  of  Motrya  Pe- 
trovna,  so  as  to  include  her  in  the  expression  of 
his  respect.  Then,  as  the  young  man  did  not 
answer,  but  continued  to  stand  and  look  at  him 
with  abstracted  eyes,  his  expression  changed 
to  one  of  curiosity  and  he  turned  inquiringly  to 
the  waiting  girl. 

"You  know  your  own  taste,  panna,"  he  said 
with  appalling  frankness,  "but  if  I  had  been 
choosing  for  you,  I  should  have  picked  a  lover 
with  more  fire."  The  girl  gave  a  mischievous 
glance  at  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  made  answer 
with  a  laugh. 

"Appearances  are  deceitful,  Piotr  Ivano- 
vitch,  and  I  am  very  well  satisfied  with  my  com- 
panion as  he  is.  He  will  tell  you,  however,  that 
he  is  not  my  lover,  but  is  taking  me  to  my  sister 
at  the  Ltua  post."  The  man  looked  doubtfully 
at  Ivan  Egorovitch  and  once  again  with  open 
admiration  at  the  girl. 

"It  is  a  handsome  service  for  a  friend  to 
give,"  he  said  bluntly.  "If  I  did  it,  I  should 


340  THE  CHALLENGE 

surely  ask  for  more  reward. ' '  Ivan  Egorovitcli 
awoke  to  sudden  animation  and  with  rough  di- 
rectness set  the  man's  pleasantries  aside. 

" Where  is  the  boat?"  he  demanded  abruptly. 
"Have  you  seen  that  all  things  are  prepared?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Motrya  Petrovna.  "The 
boat  is  below  there  at  the  beach.  But,  for  fear 
of  interruption,  Piotr  Ivanovitch  is  to  take  it 
out  to  the  very  point  yonder  and  we  will  go  by 
land  until  we  meet  him  there." 

She  sent  the  man  on  his  errand  and  stood 
read  for  the  start.  She  did  not  take  her  com- 
panion's hand  as  when  they  had  first  set  out, 
but,  assuring  herself  by  a  glance  that  he  had 
caught  the  impulse  and  was  close  at  her  heels, 
she  plunged  into  the  covert  and,  like  a  gray 
shadow  in  the  deep  greenery  around  her,  went 
flitting  on  before  him,  choosing  the  way. 

Twice,  when  she  had  gone  so  quickly  that  the 
pace  had  carried  her  too  far  ahead,  she  stopped 
and  waited,  watching  him  with  wistful  eyes. 
But  more  than  once,  when  some  delaying  de- 
tail had  held  her  till  he  came  up  close  behind, 
a  sudden  panic  took  her  lest  he  should  fail  in 
his  control  and  seize  her  with  a  detaining  hand, 
and  with  fluttering  heart  she  hastened  to  put 


THE  FLIGHT  341 

space  again  between  her  and  him.  They  found 
the  boatman  punctual  at  his  post  and  all  things 
ready  for  a  propitious  start. 

"I  have  brought  covers  and  food  and  water, " 
said  the  man,  with  a  gesture  toward  the  boat, 
' i  and  there  is  an  extra  paddle  should  the  other 
break/'  Motrya  Petrovna  drew  him  to  one 
side  and  pressed  some  silver  coins  into  his  hand. 

"You  have  done  me  great  service, "  she  said 
earnestly,  "and  I  shall  not  forget  you  all  my 
life. ' '  The  man  looked  awkwardly  at  the  money 
in  his  hand. 

"It  was  not  for  that  I  did  it,"  he  said  with 
some  constraint,  "but  because  you  have  been 
kind  to  me  and  mine.  I  wish  you  well  with  all 
my  heart,  but  I  should  feel  easier  about  you,  if 
God  would  touch  your  man  yonder  to  make  him 
quicker  with  his  wits." 

"Perhaps  he  will,"  she  said  softly,  with  a 
sudden  dewy  compunction  in  her  eyes,  "though 
I  do  not  find  him  hopeless  as  he  is. ' '  The  man 
held  the  canoe  firmly  while  she  arranged  herself 
in  comfort  at  the  bow;  and  further  till  Ivan 
Egorovitch  had  knelt  in  the  paddler's  place. 

' i  God  keep  you ! "  he  cried,  ' l  and  be  sure  and 
return  the  boat."  He  pushed  them  from  the 


342  THE  CHALLENGE 

shore  and  stood  and  felt  his  measure  of  the  de- 
parting man  enlarge,  as  he  watched  his  back 
bend  to  the  work  and  saw  the  clean  dip  of  the 
paddle  that  betrayed  the  practised  hand.  It 
was  only  for  a  moment,  however,  that  he  saw; 
for  a  score  of  strokes  carried  the  voyagers  out 
to  the  rocky  point  and,  with  a  sweep  that 
marked  a  long  white  circle  on  the  sea,  they 
swung  around  it  and  were  out  of  sight. 

There  is  a  balm  of  healing  in  familiar  toil 
that  brings  a  real  restorative  to  troubled 
hearts.  Ivan  Egorovitch,  bending  fiercely  to  his 
work,  felt  its  amenities  relax  the  tenseness  of 
the  cords  that  bound  his  soul  and  send  the  warm 
blood  tingling  through  the  half-numbed  chan- 
nels of  his  nerves.  The  firm  pull  of  the  paddle 
in  his  hand,  the  flash  of  the  blade,  the  sense  of 
exhilarant  motion,  the  lap  of  the  water  under- 
neath his  feet,  and,  perhaps  more  than  all  other 
things,  the  feeling  of  escape,  of  freedom,  that 
came  with  the  swift  dash  out  into  the  open  sea 
— all  touched  his  spirits  with  an  anodyne  that 
cured  his  pain  and  led  him  all  unconscious  back 
toward  peace. 

He  did  not  speak  to  the  girl  in  the  bow 
and  she,  with  a  great  sympathy  in  her  heart,  sat 


THE  FLIGHT  343 

silent  and  watched  his  fight  to  seize  again  his 
former  soul-serenity.  It  had  not  been  her  plan, 
when  she  began,  to  hold  him  at  a  distance  from 
her  long.  But  now,  when  his  surrender  was  an 
accomplished  fact  and  there  was  no  longer  need 
to  let  him  think  he  had  lost  her  love,  a  sudden 
shyness  came  to  stop  her  mouth  and  make  her 
ponder  on  the  disclosure  of  her  deception  with 
a  feminine  alarm. 

"I  will  delay, "  she  said  almost  aloud.  "It 
will  be  time  when  he  has  brought  me  home." 
But  this  panic  aside,  she  found  no  shadow  set  on 
her  content.  The  air  was  warm,  the  wind  of  the 
going  moved  pleasantly  about  her  hair,  the 
peace  of  all  the  ages  seemed  gathered  down 
on  the  silent  sea  and  the  long  lane  of  silver 
light,  which  the  slanting  sun  sent  shimmering 
across  the  waves,  was  like  an  open  path  to 
Arcady. 

She  lost  herself  in  the  dreams  that  held  her 
thoughts  and,  with  her  hand  drawn  idly  in  the 
water  at  her  side,  went  out  along  her  airy  road 
with  a  sublime  carelessness  and  faith.  How  far 
she  wandered  there,  no  man  can  tell,  but  sud- 
denly, through  her  dreaming,  she  was  aware  of 
something  that  broke  in  on  the  illusion  she  had 


344  THE  CHALLENGE 

spun,  and  brought  her  rudely  back  to  the  real 
facts  of  life. 

At  first  she  felt  it  vaguely  and  only  as  a  shock. 
But  gathering  force  of  it  to  more  enduring 
clearness,  she  perceived  that  the  man  in  front 
of  her  had  ceased  to  paddle  and  was  leaning 
forward  to  gaze  at  her  with  a  face  radiant  with 
hope.  So  sure  he  was  and  so  urgent  of  his 
claim,  that  her  mind,  dismayed,  fled  back  into 
itself  to  question  if  in  any  way  it  could  have 
given  him  the  ground.  And  like  a  guilty  flash, 
it  came  to  her  that  in  her  reverie  her  face  had 
caught  reflection  from  the  thought  that  was 
within  and  that,  unconscious,  she  had  looked  at 
him  with  wooing  eyes. 

"Motrya,,"  he  whispered  huskily,  "is  it 
really  true?"  She  stirred  with  a  sudden  thrill 
of  her  old  panic  and  looked  at  him  aghast. 

"I  must  have  been  asleep,"  she  said.  "Why 
have  you  ceased  to  row!"  He  kept  his  eyes  on 
her  unsteadily  and  made  some  inarticulate  re- 
sponse. But,  catching  from  her  face  that  he  had 
made  mistake,  he  let  his  eyes  go  down  and 
turned  to  his  work  again  with  passionate  in- 
tensity. 

They  went  on  steadily  and  swiftly  in  their 


THE  FLIGHT  345 

course  and  the  sun  sank  down  till  with  a  sudden 
dip  it  dropped  into  the  sea.  The  girl  began  to 
be  tired  with  the  long  sitting  in  one  place,  and 
slipping  down  she  lay  at  full  length  on  her  cov- 
ers and  stretched  herself  to  ease  the  stiffness 
in  her  limbs.  Her  feet  almost  reached  Ivan 
Egorovitch  where  he  knelt  and  she  felt  a  wild 
desire  rise  in  her  to  touch  him  and  see  what  he 
would  do.  But  before  the  thought  had  crystal- 
lized into  act,  he  noted  her  change  of  place  and 
moved  so  that  the  drip  of  the  paddle  as  he 
passed  it  back  and  forth,  should  not,  in  going, 
fall  on  her  feet. 

She  abandoned  her  madcap  thought  and,  set- 
tling herself  in  comfort  in  her  place,  lay  back 
and  watched  the  soft  outgoing  of  the  day. 
There  were  no  high-riding  clouds  above  her 
head  to  catch  the  colors  and  give  back  gorgeous 
sunset  hues.  Here  and  there  small  orange 
patches  no  larger  than  a  hand  glowed  bright 
against  the  sallow  sky.  Along  the  horizon  to 
the  west,  the  mist,  low-lying,  caught  a  hard  gild- 
ing from  the  sun  and  flamed  and  burned  with 
royal  prodigality.  The  whole  air  seized  the 
impulse  and  grew  full  of  the  soft  yellow  light, 
and  off  to  the  east,  even  the  somber  mountains 


346  THE  CHALLENGE 

of  the  mainland  caught  the  kindliness  of  the 
benediction  and  warmed  and  softened  into 
pleasant  tints. 

The  evening  wind  began  and  breathed  with 
slight  premonitory  chill.  She  felt,  rather  than 
saw,  that  Ivan  Egorovitch  leaned  forward  and 
drew  a  wrap  across  her  as  she  lay.  The  sunset 
faded,  how  she  scarcely  knew,  and  when  she 
woke  again  the  canoe  was  beached  on  a  low  spit 
of  land  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  was  calling  her  to 
come  ashore.  The  night  had  settled  blackly  and 
the  hills,  drawn  close,  went  sharply  up  like 
a  threatening  shad;ow,  indistinct  and  vague. 
Some  steps  away  she  saw  the  flash  of  a  little 
fire,  and  the  wind  brought  to  her  pleasantly  the 
homelike  smell  of  smoke. 

She  let  him  help  her  to  her  feet  and  went 
stumbling  out  upon  the  beach.  Still  heavy-eyed 
with  sleep,  she  was  confused  and  lost  in  the 
strange  shadowy  darkness,  and,  pressing  her 
hands  to  her  eyes,  she  stood  still  and  waited 
till  her  power  of  judgment  should  again  be  clear. 

"Come  to  the  fire,"  he  said.  "It  is  only  a 
little  way."  His  voice  supplied  the  human 
touch  that  was  needful  to  harmonize  her  dis- 
turbed sense  with  the  unusual  scene.  He,  at 


THE  FLIGHT  347 

least,  was  a  reality,  on  which  her  necessity 
might  lean  and  with  an  unconsciousness  that 
showed  how  natural  the  gesture  was,  she  turned 
to  him  and  put  her  hand  in  his. 

The  intimacy  of  the  action  stirred  him  almost 
beyond  his  strength.  It  was  the  first  kindness 
Motrya  Petrovna  had  shown  him  since  the  day 
when  everything  had  been  his  own  and,  though 
he  knew  the  trust  was  all  unconscious,  it  was 
encouragement  enough  to  set  his  pulse  a-thrill. 

"Do  not  be  afraid,"  he  said  with  a  new  note 
in  his  voice.  ' t  The  way  is  steep,  but  it  is  wholly 
clear."  She  let  him  lead  her  up  the  short  in- 
cline and  came  with  him  to  a  cup-shaped  de- 
pression with  a  floor  of  turf  in  which  the  fire 
had  been  placed. 

The  blaze  was  larger,  seen  close  at  hand,  and 
served  to  light  acceptably  the  little  level  of 
the  valley  floor.  She  saw  that  he  had  been 
some  time  before  her  in  the  place  and  that, 
within  the  circle  of  the  blaze,  were  set  the  vari- 
ous articles  of  food  that  Piotr  Shakhof  had  so 
thoughtfully  supplied.  Ivan  Egorovitch  paused 
beside  them,  but  still  held  her  hand. 

"This  is  the  place  where  the  boats  always 
stop, ' '  he  said.  ' '  There  is  water  yonder,  by  that 


348  THE  CHALLENGE 

little  bush.  I  will  go  down  and  bring  the  other 
things,  and  by  that  time  I  think  yon  can  have 
some  tea. ' '  There  did  not  seem  to  be  need  for 
speech  and  she  stood  and  smiled  at  him  and 
waited  till  he  should  let  go  her  hand.  When 
he  was  gone,  she  watched  him  out  of  sight,  and 
then  went  to  the  little  stream  that  he  had 
pointed  out  and  washed  and  dried  her  face  and 
arranged  her  tumbled  hair. 

He  found  her  by  the  fire,  awaiting  him  with 
kindly  eyes.  He  placed  on  the  ground  the  cov- 
ers he  had  brought  and  arranged  a  pile  of  them 
against  a  convenient  rock. 

"Sit  here,"  he  said,  "where  you  will  not  be 
cold." 

"You  must  come,  too,'"  she  said,  and  left  for 
him  a  place. 

"Not  now,"  he  answered.  "Not  till  you  are 
served. ' '  He  brought  her  food  and  tea  and  saw 
that  she  had  comfort  while  she  ate.  But  when 
the  meal  was  done,  he  took  advantage  of  the  in- 
vitation she  had  given  and  stretched  himself 
on  the  covers  at  her  side. 

It  was  a  strain  on  his  self-mastery  to  keep 
from  speaking  all  his  thought.  She  was  so  near 
that  he  could  have  put  out  his  hand  and  touched 


THE  FLIGHT  349 

her,  but  his  heart  was  grateful  that  she  had 
thrown  to  him  even  the  small  crumbs  of  comf  orti 
that  she  had,  and  he  put  a  grip  on  himself  that 
she  might  not  feel  she  had  been  mistaken  in  her 
trust. 

The  girl  herself,  now  she  had  led  him  on,  was 
filled  with  fear  lest  she  should  give  too  much 
and  so  took  refuge  in  a  passive  role  and  sat  and 
watched  the  fire  and  did  not  speak.  His  eyes 
devoured  her  hungrily  and  at  last  he  could  not 
keep  his  thoughts  from  breaking  into  words. 

"God  made  this  place  for  us,"  he  said  with  a 
low  thrill  of  voice.  "I  do  not  believe  there  is 
any  one  else  left  in  the  world."  The  girl  gave 
an  almost  imperceptible  stir  of  discontent. 

"Do  not  talk,"  she  said  pleadingly;  "let  us 
enjoy  it  as  it  is." 

"I  can  not,"  he  said  passionately,  "I  must 
show  you  what  is  in  my  heart."  She  reached 
out  quickly  and  laid  her  hand  lightly  on  his 
mouth. 

"Oh,  wait!"  she  cried.  "I  do  not  want  to 
hear  to-night. ' '  The  touch  of  her  soft  palm,  the 
warmth  of  it — more  than  he  had  so  long  pos- 
sessed of  her — intoxicated  him  for  the  moment 
and  swept  away  the  last  restraint  of  his  reserve. 


350  THE  CHALLENGE 

He  pressed  the  hand  hungrily  against  his  cheek, 
kissed  it  with  feverish  lips  and,  lifting  himself, 
drew  her  toward  him  with  the  thought  to  take 
her  in  his  arms.  She  resisted  sharply,  throw- 
ing back  her  head  and  pushed  him  from  her  with 
her  hands. 

"Wait!"  she  cried,  "wait!  0  Ivan,  not  to- 
night ! ' '  He  yielded  promptly  to  her  mood  and 
gave  back  until  she  was  entirely  free.  She  sat 
for  some  minutes  rigidly  against  the  rock, 
watching  him  constantly  with  attentive  eyes. 

"I  am  trusting  you,  Ivan,"  she  said  tremu- 
lously. "Do  not  do  anything  that  will  make  me 
sorry  that  I  have!"  He  got  abruptly  to  his 
feet  and  without  a  word  went  swiftly  out  of  the 
little  valley  by  the  path  down  to  the  sea. 

When  he  came  back  he  was  again  quiet  and 
contained,  and  taking  a  cover,  arranged  it  over 
slanting  sticks  so  as  to  make  her  a  shelter  by  a 
fallen  fir.  She  stood  by  the  fire  and  watched 
him  while  he  arranged  the  remaining  wraps  into 
a  bed. 

"It  is  near  midnight,"  he  said,  "and  time  you 
were  asleep." 

"And  you?'!  she  answered. 

"I  shall  sleep  in  the  canoe,"  he  said,  and  went 


THE  FLIGHT  351 

away,  across  the  little  hill.  He  did  not  go  to 
bed  at  once,  however,  but,  standing  by  the  boat, 
took  off  his  cap  and  lingered,  enjoying  on  his 
forehead  the  coolness  of  the  soft  evening 
breeze. 

It  was  a  lovely  night.  The  penetrating  chill 
that  commonly  came  in  with  darkness  was  this 
time  lacking.  The  place  was  still,  except  for 
the  soft  lapping  of  the  surf  along  the  beach  line. 
The  darkness  hung  around  him  like  a  veil  let 
down  to  shut  out  everything  but  the  wide  mys- 
teries of  night,  and,  standing  with  upraised  face, 
he  drank  in  the  inspiration  of  its  quiet  and  felt 
himself  uplifted  by  its  peace. 

But  only  for  a  moment.  There  was  a  sudden 
breathing  of  the  forest.  Somewhere  a  fox 
barked  sharply  from  its  cover,  and  off  to  the 
south  a  glacier  in  some  hidden  bay,  let  fall,  with 
sullen  roar,  a  front  of  ice  into  the  sea.  It 
brought  him  to  himself  and,  with  a  deep-drawn 
sigh,  he  replaced  his  cap  and  turned  and  looked 
back  wistfully  toward  the  fire.  But  the  inspira- 
tion of  the  night  remained  in  him  and  would  not 
let  him  rest. .  Climbing  the  hill,  he  passed  the 
fire  and  stood  again  beside  the  shelter  tent. 

"Motrya,"  he  called,  "are  you  asleep?" 


352  THE  CHALLENGE 

"No,  not  yet,"  she  said  after  a  moment's  hes- 
itation. 

1  i  I  could  not  sleep, ' '  he  went  on  humbly, ' '  till 
I  had  told  you  that  I  was  sorry  I  went  too 
far.  Good  night  I" 

'  '  Good  night ! ' '  she  answered  softly  and  again 
the  place  was  still.  He  did  not  go,  however, 
and,  divining  what  he  wanted,  after  a  moment, 
she  put  out  her  hand.  He  kissed  it  reverently 
and  let  it  go,  and  this  time  when  he  went  away, 
she  came  to  sleep  that  was  not  any  more  dis- 
turbed. 


CHAPTER  XV" 

THE    GEIP   OF    THE   DRAW. 

The  sun  was  shining  brightly  when  Motrya 
Petrovna  woke  and,  hastily  making  her  toilet  at 
the  little  run,  she  looked  for  Ivan  Egorovitch 
and  saw  him  at  the  top  of  one  of  the  larger  of 
the  adjacent  hills.  She  went  to  him  and  found 
him  looking  out  across  the  sea.  So  engrossed 
was  he  in  his  occupation  that  until  she  spoke,  he 
did  not  seem  to  see  or  to  hear  her. 

6 'What  is  it,  Ivan?"  she  asked  breathlessly, 
for  the  incline  was  steep.  He  kept  his  gaze 
fixed  as  before  and,  without  turning,  pointed 
with  his  hand. 

* '  It  is  a  boat,  I  think, ' '  he  said  quietly.  ' '  Do 
you  see  it  yonder  by  that  farthest  rocky  point?" 
She  came  close  to  him  and  bent  forward  in  the 
direction  he  had  shown. 

"Is  it  that  black  dot  in  the  water,  near  the 
shore?" 

"Yes,  now  it  is  gone  behind  that  island  to  the 

353 


354  THE  CHALLENGE 

left."  She  stood  so  close  to  him  that  she 
brushed  his  arm,  but  he  was  so  preoccupied 
he  still  scarcely  knew  that  she  was  there  by  his 
side. 

"What  does  it  mean?"  she  asked  with  a  sud- 
den thrill. 

"Pursuit,  I  am  afraid,"  he  answered  soberly. 
"See,  there  it  comes  in  sight  again."  They 
watched  it  silently  for  a  moment  and  Motrya 
Petrovna  felt  a  new  stir  at  the  heart.  Then, 
with  an  exclamation,  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  out 
of  his  absorption  and  turned  abruptly  to  the 
girl  at  his  side. 

"We  will  take  no  chance,"  he  said  decidedly. 
"We  must  lose  no  time  in  getting  under  way." 
He  put  his  arm  around  her  as  if  it  was  already 
necessary  to  protect  her  against  the  danger  that 
he  feared,  and  together  they  went  swiftly  down 
the  slope. 

As  a  first  measure  of  precaution,  he  put  out 
the  fire.  They  ate  and  drank  with  feverish 
haste  and  then,  with  the  leisurely  swiftness  of 
long  practice,  the  young  man  collected  the  scat- 
tered things  and  loaded  them  quickly  on  the 
canoe.  Before  starting,  he  went  back  to  the 
hill  for  another  look. 


THE  GEIP  OF  THE  DRAW        355 

"It  is  a  larger  boat,"  he  said  when  lie  came 
back,  ' '  and  I  think  there  are  four  men. ' ' 

"Ours  is  the  lighter  one,"  she  said  encour- 
agingly. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  "but  they  can  cut 
straight  across  from  head  to  head,  while  we,  be- 
ing smaller,  have  to  hug  the  shore." 

He  helped  her  to  her  place  and  got  the  little 
craft  afloat  and,  putting  his  back  into  the  work, 
began  to  send  it  across  the  water  with  satisfy- 
ing speed.  Seated  at  the  bow,  Motrya  Petrovna 
could  look  back  on  the  course  which  they  had 
followed,  and  with  growing  curiosity  she 
strained  her  eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  boat 
that  followed  them.  She  was  too  close  to  the 
water  for  extended  view  and,  in  spite  of  her  ef- 
forts, she  could  get  no  sight  of  it.  Again  and 
again  in  the  long  morning  hours  she  thought  she 
made  it  out,  and  once  she  raised  herself  so  far  in 
her  eagerness  to  see,  that  the  little  canoe  shook 
violently  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  became  aware 
of  her. 

"Sit  down!"  he  said  sharply.  "You  will  be 
over  in  the  sea."  She  settled  back  obediently 
in  her  place,  but  turned  her  eyes  to  him  in  mute 
apology. 


356  THE  CHALLENGE 

"I  thought  I  saw  them!"  she  said  breath- 
lessly." "Do  you  think  they  will  overhaul  us 
before  we  can  get  in?" 

"I  trust  not,"  he  answered  dubiously.  "If 
they  take  us  here,  they  can  do  with  us  as  they 
will,  but  if  we  gain  the  port,  it  is  a  certain  thing 
that  they  will  not  be  able  to  lay  hands  on  us." 

"It  is  a  strange  thing  that  they  have  followed 
us  so  soon,"  she  said  thoughtfully,  "and  I  can 
not  understand  why  they  have  brought  so  large 
a  boat. ' ' 

"I  suspect  you  are  more  precious  to  your 
father  than  you  know,"  he  answered  with  a 
smile.  "They  have  brought  the  larger  boat  be- 
cause they  want  me  as  well  as  you.  You  forget 
that  I  am  an  offender  now  who  has  broken  gaol. 
The  priest  desires  me  punished  and  Aleksander 
Nicolaievitch  has  had  to  send  the  extra  men." 
This  was  a  new  idea  to  her,  and  a  disturbing 
one,  and  she  clasped  her  hands  impulsively  as 
she  thought  it  out. 

"Oh,  they  must  not  overtake  us!"  she  cried 
excitedly.  "I  could  not  bear  to  have  you  suffer 
for  what  I  made  you  do !" 

"We  shall  know  about  it  soon,"  he  answere'd, 
"The  end  of  the  journey  is  not  far  away," 


THE  GEIP  OF  THE  DEAW        357 

He  stopped  paddling  and  took  a  quick  look 
down  along  the  coast.  Less  than  three  miles 
away  he  saw  the  familiar  headlands  that  marked 
the  desired  entrance  to  Ltua  Bay  and  uncon- 
sciously he  gave  a  little  shout  of  joy.  But  the 
girl,  looking  back,  had  at  the  same  moment  her 
first  vision  of  their  pursuers  as  their  boat  rose 
suddenly  on  the  crest  of  a  higher  wave.  With 
a  gasp,  she  let  herself  slide  down  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat  and  drew  herself  toward  him 
as  if  she  could  not  resist  the  impulse  to  help 
him  at  the  oar. 

' i  Pull ! ' '  she  cried  in  a  sibilant  whisper, ' ( pull, 
Ivan,  they  are  almost  here ! ' '  The  young  man 
caught  the  impulse  of  her  terror  and  bent  with 
hysteric  energy  to  his  work.  But,  after  a  mo- 
ment, finding  that  they  had  not  been  overhauled, 
he  steadied  his  courage  and  took  time  to  look 
around. 

"I  thought  they  were  right  upon  us,"  he  said 
shamefacedly,  and  eased  up  somewhat  on  his 
stroke.  The  other  canoe,  however,  was  now 
plainly  in  sight  and  he  could  see  that,  as  he  had 
thought,  it  held  four  men. 

Those  in  the  pursuing  boat  saw  the  fugitives 
almost  as  soon  as  they  themselves  had  been  seen, 


358  THE  CHALLENGE 

and  one  man  stood  up  and  gazed  at  them  fixedly, 
as  if  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure.  Then  his 
hands  went  to  his  mouth  and  he  shouted  a  sharp 
peremptory  hail.  Ivan  Egorovitch  did  not  an- 
swer and  the  girl  gave  a  little  sob  and  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands.  The  young  man  did 
not  dare  to  lay  down  his  paddle  to  go  to  her, 
but  from  his  distance,  he  comforted  her  as  he 
could. 

"Courage,  dear  heart,"  he  said.  "There  is 
a  long  way  yet  between  them  and  us."  She 
looked  up  at  him  thankfully  with  a  perfunctory 
effort  at  a  smile. 

"It  is  foolish,  I  suppose,  to  be  so  frightened," 
she  said  tremulously,  "but  I  would  not  want  to 
live,  Ivan,  if  you  let  them  take  me  from  you 
now. ' '  His  face  lighted  and  he  gave  her  a  quick 
grateful  glance. 

"God  Himself  might  do  it,"  he  cried  magnifi- 
cently, "but  while  I  live,  I  will  hold  you  against 
the  world!"  Still,  his  heart  beat  freer  when 
they  had  passed  between  the  headlands  and 
their  pursuers  were  for  the  moment  out  of  sight. 

His  enthusiasm  carried  him  quickly  and  he 
was  well  in  the  channel  before  he  thought  about 
the  draw.  It  may  have  been  the  sinister  drag 


THE  GEIP  OF  THE  DRAW        359 

on  the  boat  or  perhaps  some  suggestive  stir 
of  the  surface  of  the  sea.  But  whatever  it  was, 
he  woke  suddenly  to  recollection  and  saw  that 
the  tide  was  past  the  full,  and  ahead  of  him  the 
mad  spin  of  the  water  was  beginning  to  go 
round. 

He  checked  the  canoe  promptly,  with  the 
thought  to  turn  and  make  for  the  landing  at  the 
outer  point.  But  that  refuge  looked  already  an 
interminable  way  behind  and  the  fear  took  hold 
of  him  that  to  go  back  would  mean  to  run 
surely  into  their  pursuers '  arms. 

"Motrya,"  he  cried,  "the  tide  has  turned  and 
the  passage  is  not  safe.  Shall  we  go  back  or 
shall  we  try  to  run  the  draw?"  The  girl 
twisted  herself  around  so  she  could  look  up 
the  channel  toward  the  designated  spot  and  saw 
at  once  that  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of 
what  he  had  said.  There  was  the  same  restless 
stir  of  the  water  that  she  had  noticed  the  day 
when  he  had  first  shown  her  the  whirlpool  from 
the  ledge,  and  at  the  center  of  the  uncanny 
thing,  she  saw  the  old  angry  patch  of  white  that 
heaved  and  stirred  as  if  it  were  alive. 

Like  an  overwhelming  wave  there  swept  over 
her  the  whole  recollection  of  the  place  as  she 


360  THE  CHALLENGE 

had  seen  it  on  that  other  dreadful  day.  She 
felt  again  on  her  hands  the  sinister  pull  of  the 
log  at  the  end  of  the  tight-stretched  rope.  She 
heard  the  cry  of  the  priest  as  he  dropped  from 
his  boat  into  the  inhospitable  sea,  and  saw,  as  in 
a  dream,  the  two  black  heads  go  up  and  down 
like  corks  in  the  struggle  of  the  men  for  life. 

It  was  all  in  an  instant,  but  the  horror  of  it 
took  her  strength  and  as  she  turned  to  him 
again  he  saw  in  her  face  that  she  had  not  the 
heart  to  try.  It  was  not  the  answer  he  had 
hoped  for,  but  without  a  word,  he  turned  the 
canoe  and  began  to  circle  for  the  backward  run. 
But  before  it  was  fairly  round,  the  girl,  turning 
to  gage  the  danger  from  the  other  boat,  saw  it 
so  near  that  she  could  not  suppress  a  cry. 

"Wait!"  she  exclaimed.  "They  are  already 
at  the  point !"  He  checked  the  boat  and  as  she 
saw  the  hope  that  was  in  his  eyes,  she  steadied 
herself  and  took  new  grip  on  her  fears. 

"Ivan,"  she  cried,  "is  there  a  chance  that  we 
could  pass  alive!" 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  "there  is  a  chance,  but 
that  is  all."  She  hesitated  just  a  moment, 
while  her  courage  grew. 

"Go  on!"  she  said  resolutely.    "It  will  be  no 


THE  GEIP  OF  THE  DRAW        361 

worse  than  going  back!"  He  delayed  no  time 
in  a,cting  on  the  permission  and  sent  the  boat 
over  to  the  southern  bank.  Hugging  it  close,  he 
increased  the  speed  so  that  as  far  as  possible  he 
should  offset  the  insidious  grapple  of  the  draw. 

Motrya  Petrovna  let  herself  sink  into  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat  and  covered  her  eyes  tightly 
with  her  hands.  For  the  first  hundred  yards 
the  plan  worked  like  a  charm.  The  boat  obeyed 
the  paddle  and  crept  steadily  along  the  rocky 
wall.  But  after  that  the  racing  water  began 
to  drag  at  it  with  growing  force  and  Ivan  Egor- 
ovitch  found  it  hard  to  keep  it  pointed  as  he 
would.  So  strong  was  the  unremitting  pull 
that  it  was  only  by  paddling  wholly  on  one  side, 
that  he  could  keep  the  boat's  nose  turned 
rightly  toward  the  shore. 

The  crisis  came  when  they  were  opposite  the 
ledge.  Slowly,  but  surely,  the  boat  began  to 
leave  the  sheltering  cliff,  moving  broadsides 
out  into  the  stream.  Ivan  Egorovitch  paddled 
madly,  but  to  no  avail,  and  saw  the  shore  slip 
away  until  there  was  a  wide  lane  of  water  be- 
tween him  and  it.  Motrya  Petrovna  had  slid 
forward  in  a  heap  and  he  saw  that  she  had 
fainted  quite  away. 


362  THE  CHALLENGE 

It  took  him  but  a  moment  to  make  up  his 
mind.  With  a  last  desperate  struggle  that  he 
might  not  lose  advantage  while  he  leaned  for- 
ward to  the  girl,  he  threw  away  his  paddle  and 
leaped  with  her  as  far  as  possible  toward  the 
shore.  The  sudden  plunge  restored  somewhat 
her  dormant  wits  but  she  did  not  resist  strongly 
and  his  task  was  the  easier  that  he  could  man- 
age her  as  he  would. 

It  was  a  wild  struggle  and  a  bitter  one  and, 
more  than  once,  with  the  mad  swirl  of  the  cur- 
rent sucking  at  his  legs,  he  thought  the  end  had 
come  and  that  his  strength  was  not  enough  to 
bring  him  out.  But  he  fought  with  dogged  per- 
severance, gaining  inch  by  inch,  and  finally,  with 
hand  that  was  so  weary  he  could  scarcely 
keep  the  hold,  grasped  at  the  rock  where  once 
before  his  landing  had  been  made,  and  drew 
himself  and  her  out  on  the  ledge. 

He  was  so  weak  that,  having  dragged  her  back 
against  the  bank,  he  fell  beside  her  and  lay, 
panting,  on  the  rock.  He  had  no  wish  to  stir, 
and  with  his  hand  stretched  out  to  touch  the  girl 
whom  he  had  saved,  he  rested,  conscious  only 
of  a  growing  sense  of  satisfaction  and  content. 

It  was  only  for  a  moment,  however,  for  be- 


THE  GRIP  OF  THE  DRAW        363 

fore  his  heart  had  slowed  to  its  ordinary  beat, 
there  was  a  sudden  cry  out  in  the  channel  that 
startled  him  and  brought  him  quickly  to  his 
feet.  He  had  forgotten  about  the  others  there 
behind  and  was  suddenly  conscious  that  they 
had  followed  into  the  open  way  and,  unwitting, 
blundered  on  into  the  draw. 

When  he  saw  them  they  were  already  in  the 
toils  and  laboring  hard  to  turn  aside  their  fate. 
They  were  too  engrossed  with  their  own  strug- 
gle to  see  the  fugitives  upon  the  ledge,  but  Ivan 
Egorovitch  saw  that,  besides  the  two  who 
labored  at  the  oars,  the  boat  held  Peter  Efimo- 
vitch  and  Simeon  Gvosdef,  the  priest. 

The  paddlers  fought  bravely  for  their  lives, 
bending  their  backs  till  the  muscles  stood  out 
like  cords  and  did  not  waste  breath  in  a  single 
word.  Peter  Efimovitch  stood  up  stiffly  and 
watched  the  approach  of  the  end,  with  un- 
changed face.  But  as  the  boat  came  to  the  edge 
of  the  central  patch  of  foam,  Simeon  Gvosdef 
in  his  place  at  the  bow  leaned  forward  as  if  in 
fascination  and,  looking  with  horrow  into  the 
bubbling  caldron,  began  dismally  to  scream. 

The  agony  of  the  cry  reached  even  the  dull 
ear  of  the  girl  and  she  half-opened  her  eyes 


364  THE  CHALLENGE 

and  raised  herself  as  if  about  to  sit  upright. 
Ivan  Egorovitch,  by  a  quick  movement,  placed 
himself  between  her  and  the  sea. 

" Don't  look!"  he  cried,  and  covered  her  eyes 
with  his  hand.  The  intervention  was  unneces- 
sary, for  the  girl 9s  action  was  purely  automatic 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  she  even  heard  him.  speak. 
Her  head  dropped  back  in  spite  of  her  desire 
and  with  a  sigh  she  relapsed  into  unconscious- 
ness again. 

When  he  turned  back  to  the  water,  the  trag- 
edy was  almost  done.  The  boat  was  floating  on 
its  side  and,  of  its  occupants,  there  was  no  sign 
except  one  stiff  up-reaching  arm.  He  watched 
in  fascination,  till  the  boat  itself  went  down 
and,  seizing  the  girl  with  almost  frantic  haste, 
he  carried  her  swiftly  up  the  narrow  path  and 
away  from  the  morbid  horror  of  the  place. 

Up  on  the  level,  where  the  sun  was  warm,  he 
made  a  bed  of  grass  where  a  high  bush  would 
shelter  it  from  the  wind,  and,  gathering  her  in 
his  arms,  so  that  her  head  lay  against  his  breast, 
he  waited  patiently  till  she  should  come  to  life 
again.  The  heat  and  comfort  wrought  their 
perfect  work  and  after  a  time  she  began  to  take 
deeper  breaths  and  ended  by  opening  her  eyes. 


THE  GEIP  OF  THE  DEAW        365 

She  did  not  try  to  move  or  change  her  place, 
but  lay  contentedly  and  looked  up  into  his  face. 

" Where  are  we,  Ivan?"  she  said  at  last. 
"Did  we  coine  safely  through  the  draw?" 

"We  are  in  the  meadow  where  you  picked  the 
flowers,"  he  said  quietly.  She  considered  for 
a  moment  without  further  speech.  Then,  mov- 
ing back  her  head  so  that  she  might  more  clearly 
see  his  eyes,  she  spoke  again. 

"The  others!"  she  said,  "where  are  they?" 
He  did  not  even  hesitate. 

"I  do  not  know,"  he  said.  "They  did  not 
come  in  and  pass  the  draw. ' '  She  accepted  the 
explanation  without  further  question  and  with 
a  sigh  of  satisfaction  again  closed  her  eyes. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  watched  her  with  exultant 
pulse.  Not  even  the  tragic  deaths  he  had  just 
seen  could  hold  in  check  the  magic  stir  within 
his  blood.  The  sureness  of  possession  took 
hold  on  him  and  as  the  minutes  passed  and 
brought  from  her  no  signal  of  dissent,  the  im- 
pulse grew  to  make  his  title  felt. 

"Dear  heart!"  he  said,  and  for  an  instant 
held  her  tight.  She  lifted  her  hand  and  ran  it 
caressingly  up  along  his  breast. 

"Do  you  understand  now,  Ivan?"  she  said 


366  THE  CHALLENGE 

softly.  The  color  flared  up  in  his  cheeks  and, 
for  the  moment,  even  in  the  face  of  her  com- 
plaisance, he  was  afraid  to  speak. 

"I  am  not  sure  that  I  dare,"  he  said  con- 
strainedly. "We  have  faced  death  together 
with  a  single  heart  I  hope  it  means  that  from 
this  time  forward  we  are  to  face  life  together 
with  the  same  single  heart  and  that  you  will  let 
me  hold  you  fast  against  the  world." 

"Hold  me!"  she  said  almost  below  her 
breath  and,  turning,  hid  her  face  against  his 
breast. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

IVAN"  IS  BBOUGHT  TO  BOOK 

At  the  moment  of  its  confession,  love  seems 
sufficient  for  all  things  to  come,  and  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch,  holding  fast  the  woman  he  had  acquired 
at  such  pains,  forgot  both  time  and  place, 
and  for  an  interval  pictured  himself  no  future 
outside  of  what  he  read  in  his  companion's  eyes. 
But  the  time  comes  inevitably  when  the  intoxi- 
cating inspiration  wavers  and  the  mind  again 
takes  note  of  common  things:  and  as  the  sun 
began  to  slant  down  westward  toward  the  sea, 
the  thoughts  of  the  fugitives  returned  uncon- 
sciously to  the  world  around  them  and  the  im- 
pulse woke  to  bring  their  adventure  to  a  proper 
close.  Motrya  Petrovna  was  the  first  to  put  the 
feeling  into  words. 

"What  are  we  going  to  do,  Ivan,"  she  asked 
with  some  hesitation,  "if  no  boat  should  come  in 
through  the  channel  before  night?"  He  smiled 
at  her  encouragingly,  but  rose  to  his  feet  and  let 

367 


368  THE  CHALLENGE 

his  eyes  run  searchingly  over  the  line  of  sea 
around  him  before  he  looked  down  at  her  once 
more. 

"There  will  surely  some  one  come,"  he  said 
quietly.  ' '  But  if  no  one  did,  it  would  only  mean 
that  we  should  have  the  long  walk  up  to  the  na- 
tive village  on  the  beach."  He  continued  to 
gaze  at  her  almost  wistfully  for  a  moment  and 
then  dropped  down  on  his  knees  beside  her  and 
took  her  hands  in  his. 

"I  believe  I  am  still  afraid  to  go  back  with 
you  to  the  post,"  he  said  with  some  constraint. 
"Here  the  whole  world  is  ours  and  we  are  all 
of  it.  But  there  I  shall  have  to  share  you,  in 
part  at  least,  with  Stepan  and  Tatiana  and  the 
rest.  It  disturbs  me  to  give  up  even  the  little 
they  will  demand." 

"But  we  shall  be  together  just  the  same. 
Surely  they  can  not  separate  us  now. ' '  He  drew 
up  his  shoulders  as  if  in  answer  to  her  question, 
but  in  his  eyes  there  was  no  real  doubt. 

' 1 1  shall  never  give  you  up,  you  may  be  sure, ' ' 
he  said  quietly.  "What  I  really  had  in  mind 
was  that  when  I  have  left  you  with  your  sister,  I 
shall  miss  you  sorely  till  I  can  come  to  you 
again."  She  withdrew  her  hands  from  his  in 


IVAN  IS  BKOUGHT  TO  BOOK      369 

a  sudden  panic  of  surprise  and  leaning  forward 
caught  him  convulsively  by  the  arms. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  she  cried.  "Where 
are  you  going  that  you  think  to  leave  me  here 
behind  1" 

"Have  you  forgotten/'  he  answered,  "that  I 
have  an  account  to  settle  with  Aleksander  Nico- 
laievitch  at  Yakutat  for  the  breaking  of  my 
parole!" 

She  drew  herself  up  to  him  till  she  could  hide 
her  head  against  his  breast. 

"If  you  go  back,  I  shall  go  with  you,"  she  de- 
clared. He  held  her  tightly  to  him  and  bent  his 
head  till  his  cheek  rested  lightly  on  her  hair. 

"No,"  he  said  gravely.  "When  I  go  I  must 
go  alone. ' '  She  stirred  protestingly  but  did  not 
answer ;  and  after  a  pause  he  added  with  a  touch 
of  mischief  in  his  voice:  "You  see,  it  will  be 
better  to  finish  my  punishment  this  time  when 
once  it  is  begun."  She  kept  her  face  hidden 
close  against  his  coat,  but  he  could  see  the  color 
flood  her  neck  and  cheeks,  and  she  drew  herself 
more  closely  down  against  his  arm. 

"It  was  dreadful  of  me,  was  it  not?"  she 
whispered.  "But,  Ivan,  I  did  not  see  how  to 
be  sure  of  you  in  any  other  way. ' ' 


370  THE  CHALLENGE 

"I  can  forgive  yon/'  he  said  softly,  "and  per- 
haps it  is  yonr  part  of  the  punishment  that  you 
will  have  to  stay  behind  here  and  wait  for  me 
without  knowing,  till  I  come  to  you,  what  is  to 
be  the  end."  She  considered  silently  and  then 
raised  her  eyes  steadily  to  his. 

"I  will  let  you  go,"  she  said  with  as  much 
courage  as  she  could  bring  herself  to  show, — 
"but,  Ivan — what  if  my  father  should  come  and 
take  me  away  again  while  you  are  gone!" 

"How  can  he — "  said  the  young  man  almost 
unconsciously.  Then,  recollecting  that  as  yet 
the  girl  beside  him  knew  nothing  of  that  last 
tragedy  of  the  draw,  his  speech  halted  and  he 
looked  at  her  guiltily  to  see  if  she  had  under- 
stood. 

1 '  I  should  have  told  you ! "  he  began  awkward- 
ly and  then  again  as  suddenly  he  stopped. 

1  i  Tell  me  what  ? ' '  she  echoed.  He  was  slow  in 
finding  words  in  which  to  answer  her  and  in  his 
engrossment  his  eyes  went  out  unconsciously  to 
the  place  in  the  channel  where  the  pitiful  acci- 
dent had  occurred. 

"Peter  Efimovitch — "  he  began  vaguely,  and 
then  again  found  himself  at  a  loss  for  words. 
Her  eyes,  however,  had  followed  instinctively 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK     371 

the  direction  of  his  glance  and  there  was  that  in 
his  face  that  revealed  to  her  at  once  the  dread- 
ful truth.  She  pushed  back  from  him  with  a 
sudden  stiffening  of  the  figure  till  she  could  look 
into  his  eyes,  and  as  a  full  understanding  of  the 
matter  came  to  her,  a  shade  of  horror  began 
to  grow  upon  her  face. 

"Did  you  see  it?"  she  cried  sharply.  "Is  it 
then  really  true?"  He  drew  her  to  him  and 
pressed  her  head  down  again  to  his  shoulder  as 
if  he  were  comforting  a  child. 

"I  could  not  help  but  see  it,"  he  said.  "But 
this  time  it  was  not  given  to  me  to  be  of  aid." 
She  shivered  at  the  explanation,  but  made  no 
other  sign.  He  could  think  of  no  adequate  word 
of  comfort  and  contented  himself  with  holding 
her  tightly  in  his  arms  till  the  first  shock  of  her 
grief  should  pass. 

For  a  space,  she  remained  rigidly  unrespon- 
sive to  the  sympathetic  ministration,  but  in  the 
end  his  silent  sympathy  made  way  with  her,  the 
tension  of  her  poise  relaxed  and,  with  her  face 
still  buried  on  his  shoulder,  she  began  to  cry 
quietly  to  herself.  He  was  wise  enough  to  leave 
her  entirely  to  her  thought,  and  for  a  long  time 
they  sat  in  silence  while  she  steadied  herself 


372  THE  CHALLENGE 

through  the  help  of  his  comforting  kindness  to  a 
clearer  comprehension  of  what  was  left  to  her  in 
life.  But  even  then  the  shadow  of  her  loss  hung 
black  over  her  and  it  was  a  relief  to  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  when  a  passing  boat  paused  at  their 
signal  of  distress,  and  taking  them  aboard,  made 
an  end  for  him  for  a  time  to  the  strain  of  keep- 
ing her  in  heart. 

She  remained  listless  even  under  the  excite- 
ment of  the  final  coming  home  and  it  was  only 
when  the  time  came  for  the  last  parting  with  her 
lover  that  she  regained  her  old  lively  interest  in 
life.  Then,  the  realization  of  what  his  depar- 
ture meant  took  active  hold  on  her  and  she 
clung  to  him  as  if  his  going  were  the  only  sorrow 
in  the  world. 

' '  You  will  come  back ! ' '  she  whispered.  ' '  You 
will  surely  come  to  me  again!"  He  held  her 
tightly  to  him  and  comforted  her  as  he  could. 

' '  How  can  you  doubt  it ! ' '  he  said.  "  If  I  live, 
I  will  surely  come. ' ' 

"But  when?"  she  demanded  breathlessly. 
"Oh,  you  will  not  make  it  long!" 

"Only  as  long  as  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch 
gives  command,"  he  answered.  "It  rests  with 
him  what  time  he  will  demand. ' '  She  caught  her 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK     373 

breath  as  if  she  could  not  bear  that  he  should 
speak  of  it,  and  bent  her  head  so  he  could  not 
see  her  face. 

"It  is  my  punishment,  not  yours,  you  are  go- 
ing there  to  take,"  she  said  shamefacedly. 
"You  must  tell  him,  Ivan,  that  it  was  not  you 
but  I  who  was  at  fault." 

i '  The  fault  was  no  more  yours  than  mine, ' '  he 
answered  softly.  ' i  The  wrong  is  done,  but  hay- 
ing got  you  by  it,  I  am  willing  to  go  back  and 
take  whatever  punishment  he  may  demand. 
Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  has  a  heart,  and  I  am 
sure  that  when  he  hears  the  story,  I  shall  get 
mercy  rather  than  justice  at  his  hands."  He 
kept  up  the  same  brave  front  with  her  until  the 
end,  but  when  Motrya  Petrovna  was  left  behind 
and  he  had  time  to  think  about  the  matter  by 
himself,  he  found  his  confidence  a  less  certain 
prop  and  recognized  in  himself  a  frank  dismay 
which  grew  as  he  approached  the  place  where  he 
was  going  to  be  judged.  Stepan  Dmitrievitch 
had  been  absent  when  the  fugitives  reached  the 
post;  and  that  no  time  should  be  lost,  Ivan 
Egorovitch  had  selected  a  canoe  and  four  row- 
ers for  himself  and  set  out  at  once  on  his  re- 
turn. 


374  THE  CHALLENGE 

"Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  shall  at  least  see 
that  I  lost  no  time  in  coming  back,"  he  said  to 
himself  -in  lame  apology.  He  tried  to  frame  ex- 
cuses which  would  not  halt  in  the  delivery  and 
grow  futile  in  his  mouth,  but  each  time  there 
came  to  him  the  recollection  of  the  shrewd  eyes 
of  the  commandant  as  they  had  rested  on  him 
before  and  he  knew  that  he  had  nothing  to  offer 
that  would  stand  the  ordeal  of  their  serious 
search. 

It  was,  therefore,  with  something  closely  akin 
to  panic  in  his  heart  that  he  stepped  ashore  at 
Yakutat  and  began  his  pilgrimage  up  to  the 
commandant's  abode.  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch 
was  busy  at  his  desk  and,  though  he  glanced  up 
at  Ivan  Egorovitch  as  he  made  his  way  into  the 
room,  he  turned  again  at  once  to  the  problem  he 
had  in  hand  and  by  his  manner  gave  no  hint  of 
what  was  passing  in  his  mind. 

The  young  man  raged  inwardly  at  the  delay, 
feeling  with  each  moment  his  courage  ooze  un- 
pleasantly away.  The  nervous  strain  played 
havoc  with  his  steadiness  of  mind,  and  when  his 
time  came  he  started  forward  with  all  things  in 
a  whirl  and  with  no  settled  plan  as  to  what  he 
should  do  or  say.  The  commandant  received 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK     375 

him  gravely,  but  though  his  face  was  set,  there 
was  not  the  severity  in  it  that  the  young  man's 
consciousness  of  wrong-doing  had  led  him  to 
expect. 

"So  you  are  back  again,"  he  said  shortly. 
"Did  you  forget  that  you  were  to  come  to  me 
that  other  day  after  you  had  finished  out  there 
on  the  stump  ? ' '  The  young  man  flushed  guilt- 
ily and  his  eyes  went  down  to  the  floor. 

"No,  I  did  not  forget,"  he  said  constrainedly, 
"but  before  the  time  came  there  arose  a 
need—" 

"I  know,"  interrupted  the  commandant  test- 
ily. "There  was  a  girl.  A  young  man  always 
thinks  that  that  is  a  full  excuse ! ' '  The  contemp- 
tuous sarcasm  of  the  tone  stung  the  lover  in  the 
young  man  to  the  quick  and  he  defiantly  raised 
his  head. 

"What  could  I  do?"  he  burst  out  indignantly. 
"I  should  have  lost  her  altogether  if  I  had  not 
gone  with  her  that  day!"  The  commandant  let 
his  breath  out  with  a  rush  and  struck  the  table 
sharply  with  his  fist. 

"How  do  you  know  that?"  he  cried.  "Why 
is  it  that  it  never  occurred  to  you  to  come  to 
me?"  The  thought  was  so  new  a  one  to  Ivan 


376  THE  CHALLENGE 

Egorovitch  that  he  stood  in  abashed  confusion 
and  gazed  at  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  without 
a  word.  The  commandant  scarcely  waited  for 
an  answer,  but  went  on  with  his  arraignment  al- 
most without  a  break. 

"That  is  the  way  with  you  young  men,"  he 
said.  "You  take  no  thought  that  there  is  any 
power  above  you  as  efficient  as  your  own.  And 
not  you  alone,  but  every  other  man  about  the 
post !  You  find  a  need  to  run  off  with  a  girl  and, 
whisk !  four  more  men  leave  their  work  and  run 
after  you  to  bring  you  back. ' '  The  young  man 's 
face  underwent  a  sudden  transformation  and 
his  excitement  brought  him  back  again  to 
speech. 

' '  Then  you  did  not  send  the  others  ?  "  he  burst 
out.  ' '  You  did  not  know  that  they  were  gone  I ' ' 

"Know  it?  How  could  I?  Not  one  of  you 
came  even  as  a  courtesy  to  ask  leave!"  The 
culprit's  lips  shut  suddenly  together  lest,  before 
he  had  taken  a  gage  of  the  new  conditions,  he 
should  speak  and  say  too  much.  It  had  been  so 
sure  a  thing  to  him  that  the  priest's  pursuit  had 
been  officially  inspired  that  it  came  to  him  with 
the  shock  of  a  great  surprise  that  his  own  lapse 
had  never  come  to  the  ears  of  the  commandant 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK     377 

at  all.  For  a  moment  the  temptation  urged  to 
hide  his  fault  and  so  escape  the  punishment  that 
was  its  due,  but  almost  as  quickly  he  set  the 
thought  sturdily  aside  and  took  the  plunge 
which  should  purge  him  of  the  smirches  on  his 
soul. 

"Then  you  did  not  know,"  he  said  huskily, 
"that  I  went  away  before  my  punishment  was 
through  ? ' '  The  commandant 's  hand  came  down 
on  the  table  with  a  bang. 

"What!"  he  shouted,  leaning  forward  and 
holding  fast  to  the  edges  of  the  table  to  bring 
himself  more  near.  "What  is  that  you  say?" 
The  young  man  repeated  his  self -accusation 
with  such  composure  as  he  could.  Aleksander 
Nicolaievitch  did  not  wait  to  hear  him  through, 
but  jumped  to  his  feet  and  leaning  across  the 
table,  waved  him  vigorously  toward  the  door. 

"Then  what  are  you  doing  here?"  he  cried. 
"Did  I  not  tell  you  not  to  report  to  me  until  you 
had  finished  with  your  task?' ' 

"But,  your  Well-born,"  faltered  the  young 
man,  "I  thought  you  would  want  to  know — " 

"I  want  to  know  nothing  except  that  I  am 
obeyed.  Go  back  to  your  stump  and  stay  there 
till  your  punishment  is  done!"  With  a  final 


378  THE  CHALLENGE 

wave  of  his  hands  he  turned  his  back  on  the  of- 
fender and  waited  in  rigid  disapprobation  till 
his  orders  should  be  followed  out.  Ivan  Egoro- 
vitch  stood  and  looked  at  him  in  perplexed 
silence  for  a  moment  and  then,  with  a  bow  that 
Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  did  not  see,  went  out 
through  the  door  and  betook  himself  to  the 
place  of  punishment  where  he  had  first  been 
sent. 

He  had  not  been  there  half  an  hour  when  he 
saw  the  spare  figure  of  the  commandant  coming 
toward  him  from  the  doorway  of  his  house. 
Ivan  Egorovitch  saluted  him  respectfully  as  he 
came  up  to  the  stump  and  waited  in  decent 
silence  to  hear  why  he  had  come. 

Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  returned  the  salute 
gravely  and,  choosing  a  spot  on  an  adjacent  log, 
drew  up  his  feet  so  that  they  would  be  out  of 
the  wet  moss,  and  taking  out  his  pipe,  lighted  it 
and  began  placidly  to  smoke. 

"I  felt  that  there  must  be  a  guard  set  over 
you  if  I  was  to  be  sure  that  you  would  stay,"  he 
said  dryly,  "and  as  there  was  no  one  else  here 
who  understood  this  matter  besides  us  two,  I 
saw  no  way  except  to  come  and  be  a  guard  my- 
self." Ivan  Egorovitch  was  not  yet  sure  enough 


OF  THE    • 
UNIVERSITY 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK      379 

of  his  ground  or  his  composure  to  venture  on 
speech  and  so  contented  himself  with  bowing 
respectfully  an  assent.  The  commandant  got 
around  to  talk  again  after  a  little,  and,  blowing 
out  a  cloud  of  smoke,  turned  his  face  to  the 
young  man  with  a  deprecatory  smile. 

"  There  is  nothing  really  derogatory,  I  sup- 
pose, in  admitting  that  a  man  gets  more  or  less 
womanish  as  he  grows  old, ' '  he  said.  < '  Can  not 
you  see  that  I  am  overwhelmed  with  curiosity  to 
know  what  happened  to  you  and  to  the  girl? 
Tell  me  about  it,  man.  Did  you  get  clean 
away?"  The  last  pound  of  the  burden  Ivan 
Egorovitch  had  been  carrying  slipped  away 
from  him  at  the  word  and  it  was  only  by 
an  effort  that  he  concealed  the  joy  of  his  re- 
lief. 

" There  is  not  much  to  tell,"  he  said  with 
some  self-consciousness,  "but  if  you  wish  it,  I 
will  tell  you  what  there  is."  In  spite  of  this 
promise  to  be  brief,  he  began  at  the  beginning 
and  related  the  whole  story,  from  the  trial  of  the 
first  rupture  on  to  the  pleasant  end.  The  com- 
mandant listened  with  all  the  gravity  of  a  judge, 
smoking  assiduously  between  the  comments  that 
he  made  and  punctuating  his  silences  with  sym- 


380  THE  CHALLENGE 

pathetic  nods.  He  shook  his  head  gravely  at 
the  story  of  the  young  man's  temptation  and 
fall  from  grace,  and  found  a  grim  satisfaction 
in  the  priest's  compensatory  death.  But  when 
the  young  man  came  to  the  expounding  of  the 
final  parting  with  Motrya  on  the  beach,  his 
listener  warmed  to  a  positive  excitement  and 
interrupted  him  before  he  was  fairly  done. 

'  '  In  God 's  name,  man ! "  he  exclaimed.  ' '  You 
do  not  mean  that  after  having  had  all  this 
trouble  in  getting  her,  you  did  not  marry  her 
before  you  came  away!"  Ivan  Egorovitch 
laughed  softly. 

"She  will  be  there  when  I  get  back,"  he  de- 
clared. "Besides,  I  could  not  then,  because 
there  was  no  priest. ' '  The  old  man  grunted  dis- 
approvingly and  skeptically  shook  his  head. 

"You  never  can  be  sure,"  he  said.  "I  will 
lend  you  a  priest  and  the  best  thing  you  can  do 
is  to  take  him  and  get  back  to  her  as  quickly  as 
you  can.  Why  did  you  not  bring  her  here, 
though?"  he  added  ruefully.  "Now  I  shall  be 
out  of  it  and  I  have  not  seen  a  wedding  in  two 
years."  Ivan  Egorovitch  came  as  close  to  the 
commandant  as  his  place  of  imprisonment  would 
allow  and  eagerly  stretched  out  his  hands. 


IVAN  IS  BBOUGHT  TO  BOOK     381 

"Why  do  you  not  come  with  me  to  where  she 
is?"  he  cried.  "It  is  only  a  short  journey  and, 
if  you  will,  I  promise  you  that  at  the  altar  you 
shall  be  the  one  to  hold  her  crown. ' '  Aleksander 
Nicolaievitch  blew  out  a  long  stream  of  smoke 
and  nodded  placidly. 

"I  had  been  thinking  about  that  myself,"  he 
said  calmly,  "and  now  that  I  have  an  invitation, 
I  think  it  probable  I  shall  accept.  It  will  do  no 
harm,  anyway,  to  have  a  look  at  what  you  young 
people  are  doing  at  the  post,  and  it  will  warm 
the  cockles  of  my  heart  again  to  see  a  decent 
bride." 

And  so  it  happened  that  next  morning  as  the 
east  was  growing  white,  two  boats  passed  out 
through  the  headlands  of  the  bay  and  began 
their  voyage  to  the  southern  post.  In  one  were 
the  commandant  and  Ivan  Egorovitch  together 
with  the  rowers  who  had  brought  him  north.  In 
the  other  traveled  the  borrowed  priest  and  two 
deacons  whom  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch,  in  a 
moment  of  enthusiasm,  had  added,  that  the  wed- 
ding should  be  sure  of  its  proper  pomp. 

"We  will  have  no  question  of  the  ceremony," 
he  said  loftily,  "because  the  chanting  was  not 
rightly  done."  He  was  pleased  as  a  child  with 


382  THE  CHALLENGE 

being  best  man  to  the  bride  and  fretted  with  im- 
patience every  moment  of  the  way. 

"You  will  see,"  he  said  with  somber  pessi- 
mism. "It  will  never  come  off  at  all.  She 
changed  her  mind  after  she  promised  you  be- 
fore, and  even  if  we  get  there  with  these  ac- 
cursed boats,  you  will  find  that  she  has  changed 
it  on  you  once  again."  But  Ivan  Egorovitch 
was  proof  against  such  attacks  and  even  the 
darkest  of  the  old  man's  croakings  failed  to  dis- 
turb the  serenity  of  his  faith. 

"You  will  see,"  he  answered  him  in  turn,  and 
utterly  refused  to  give  the  matter  further 
thought.  The  outcome  proved  the  wisdom  of 
his  belief.  When  they  had  passed  the  channel 
heads  and,  crossing  the  great  draw,  come  safely 
to  the  landing  in  the  upper  bay,  they  found 
Motrya  Petrovna  awaiting  them  on  the  shore. 
In  her  greeting  of  her  lover,  she  gave  so  sure 
a  testimony  of  a  fixed  and  constant  mind  that 
even  Aleksander  Nicolaievitch  found  it  right  to 
purge  her  of  inconstancy.  When  it  was  made 
known  to  her  who  the  old  man  was,  she  went  to 
him  with  outstretched  hands. 

"It  was  good  of  you  to  come,"  she  said  shy- 
ly. "I  had  wondered  whom  the  Saints  would 


IVAN  IS  BBOUGHT  TO  BOOK     383 

send  to  me  to  hold  up  my  crown,  and  that  you 
should  come  to  do  it  is  an  honor  which  I  shall 
be  proud  to  tell  of  in  the  family  for  all  time." 
Tatiana  Vassilievna  alone  found  fault  with  the 
choice. 

"How  will  you  look,"  she  demanded  scorn- 
fully of  the  commandant,  "walking  after  her 
around  the  altar  with  your  long  whiskers  and 
your  red,  bald  head.  It  is  a  young  man's  place 
to  attend  upon  my  girl.  You  would  not  last  till 
the  time  of  the  first  circling  and  would  have  to 
have  a  helper  to  hold  up  your  hands!"  The 
abashed  official  swelled  and  reddened,  but  made 
no  proffer  of  surrendering  his  claims. 

"You  will  see!"  he  cried  excitedly.  "It  will 
be  time  to  talk  about  a  helper  when  I  let  the 
crown  go  down.  My  beard  may  be  white,  but  I 
am  as  young  inside  as  if  my  no<se  was  still  wet 
with  milk."  But  he  took  a  warning  from  the 
ungracious  taunt,  and  seizing  a  convenient  mo- 
ment took  the  priest  privately  aside. 

"You  have  but  two  deacons  for  the  chanting," 
he  said  with  some  embarrassment,  "therefore 
it  might  be  well  to  make  the  service  short,  for 
fear  that  otherwise  they  will  become  too  tired," 
But  when  the  wedding  party  stood  before  the 


384  THE  CHALLENGE 

priest,  both  lie  and  Tatiana  Vassilievna  forgot 
their  differences  and  resigned  themselves  to 
sentimental  absorption  in  the  scene.  Stepan 
Dmitrievitch  held  the  second  crown,  but  Alek- 
sander  Nicolaievitch's  poise  was  no  less  firm 
than  his,  and  the  old  man's  excitement  buoyed 
his  spirits  so  that  when  the  time  came  finally  to 
set  the  crowns  upon  the  couple's  heads,  he 
finished  strong  and  gave  his  up  with  much  of 
genuine  regret. 

It  was  to  Stepan  Dmitrievitch  alone  that  the 
scene  brought  anything  of  grief.  True  to  his 
bond,  he  had  been  the  first  to  congratulate  his 
blood-brother  on  his  better  luck.  But  all  the 
day  there  was  a  shadow  on  his  face  he  could 
not  wholly  hide  and  Motrya  Petrovna  noticed  it 
with  a  sympathetic  pang.  She  made  no  sign 
concerning  it  until  the  ceremony  was  done  and 
she  had  been  escorted  in  procession  back  to  her 
sister's  house.  Then  she  stole  a  moment  from 
her  happiness  to  go  and  take  him  by  the  hands. 

"I  am  sorry,  Stepan,"  she  said  wistfully.  "I 
think  you  know  I  would  have  liked  to  make  you 
happy  if  I  could. ' '  He  looked  her  courageously 
in  the  eyes  and  tried  to  draw  his  lips  into  a 
smile. 


IVAN  IS  BROUGHT  TO  BOOK     385 

' '  God  bless  you ! "  he  said  tremulously.  '  t  To 
hear  you  say  so  makes  it  easier  for  me  to  bear. ' ' 
He  dared  not  trust  himself  to  further  speech, 
and,  after  devouring  her  hungrily  for  a  moment 
with  his  eyes,  he  drew  back  from  her  abruptly 
and  almost  rudely  took  away  his  hands. 

"You  are  a  brave  man  and  good,"  she  said 
softly,  but  was  not  sure  he  heard  her  as  he 
forced  himself  away.  The  word  helped  to  this 
extent,  however,  that  during  the  season  of  con- 
gratulations he  was  noticeably  more  gay,  and 
at  the  dinner  vied  with  the  commandant  in 
happy  speeches  to  the  bride. 

But  the  strain  told  in  the  end,  and  when  the 
rooms  were  cleared  for  dancing  and  at  the  head 
of  the  long  chamber  the  tortured  instruments 
began  to  drone,  he  took  advantage  of  the  general 
occupation  and  slipped  quietly  away.  No  one 
observed  him  as  he  passed  to  the  little  hallway 
and  so  out  through  the  half -open  door. 

The  wind  on  his  face  was  restful  after  the 
closeness  of  the  heated  rooms  and  he  stood  for 
a  moment  gratefully  drawing  in  the  coolness 
and  listening  to  the  confused  tread  of  the 
dancers  and  the  voices  within.  Then  the  lone- 
liness he  had  been  fighting  came  down  on  him 


386  THE  CHALLENGE 

with  the  darkness,  and,  leaning  his  arms  against 
the  doorpost,  he  let  down  his  head  upon  them 
and  gave  himself  up  unreservedly  to  his  grief. 

But  it  is  doubtful  if  either  Ivan  Egorovitch 
or  his  new-made  wife  took  note  that  he  went 
away.  From  the  first  they  had  moved  among 
the  dancers  and  responded  to  the  talking  with 
only  a  half  heed  for  what  was  going  on. 

"I  do  not  yet  believe  that  it  is  true,"  he 
whispered  to  her  once.  "To-morrow  you  will 
be  gone  again  and  I  shall  be  following  you  hope- 
lessly all  across  the  world. " 

"But  you  will  follow?"  she  said  with  a  shy 
upward  glance. 

"As  long  as  I  have  life,"  he  answered  with  a 
look  that  made  her  flush.  But  until  the  last 
guest  was  gone,  he  could  not  wholly  set  the  fool- 
ish disbelief  aside  and  the  fear  recurred  so  that 
when,  momentarily,  Motrya  Petrovna  strayed 
away  from  him  in  the  room,  the  panic  gripped 
him  and  let  him  have  no  rest  till  he  had  sought 
her  out  and  come  again  close  enough  to  her  so 
that  he  could  speak  to  her  and  touch  her  with 
his  hand. 

THE   END 


OF  THE 

UNIVFRSITY 


A  LIST  of  IMPORTANT  FICTION 
THE  BOBBS-MERRIIX  COMPANY 


MEREDITH    NICHOLSON'S    NEW    NOVEL 

THE  HOUSE  OF 

A  THOUSAND 

CANDLES 

The  Book  with  the  Galloping  Plot 


This  is  a  novel  of  romance  and  adventure, 
of  love  and  valor,  of  mystery  and  hidden 
treasure. 

It  will  set  your  pulse  a-beating  and  hold 
you  fast  by  its  entrancing  charm. 

"  The  House  of  a  Thousand  Candles  "  is  in 
other  words  one  of  the  strongest,  cleanest, 
freshest  novels  in  many  a  day. 

Illustrated  in  Color  by 

Howard  Chandler  Christy 

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THE  SWIFT  AND  INTENSE  LIFE  OF  TO-DAY 


THE    DELUGE 


BY  DAVID  GRAHAM  PHILLIPS 


A  cross-section  out  of  the  very  heart 
of  our  life  to-day,  with  its  big  and  bold 
energies  and  passions,  the  swiftest  and 
intensest  life  ever  lived  by  the  human 
race. 

Enormous  interests  are  at  stake  in  the  plot. 
Millions  are  involved.  The  onslaught  of  the  great 
Blacklock  upon  the  kings  of  commerce  leads  to 
" Wild  Week  "  on  Wall  Street,  one  of  the  most 
thrilling  incidents  in  modern  romance.  The  story 
takes  on  a  gigantic,  a  monumental  interest  and  im- 
pressiveness.  But  in  the  clash  of  the  great  busi- 
nese  conflict,  the  love  element  is  not  for  a  moment 
forgotten.  It  is  the  refreshing  and  glorifying  touch 
in  a  novel  of  magnificent  proportions  and  persistent 
absorption. 

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REMARKABLE  FOR  ITS  INTENSE  HUMANITY 

THE    MAN   OF 
THE   HOUR 

BY  OCTAVE  THANET 


"Not  only  distinctly  an  American  novel,  but 
decidedly  the  American  novel  of  the  year. ' ' 

Boston  Herald 

"Remarkable  for  its  intense  humanity." 

Pittsburg  Times 

'« The  largeness  of  the  matters  involved  and  the 
reality  of  the  life  pictured  give  it  a  valid  claim  to 
be  called  one  of  the  great  American  novels/' 

Cincinnati  Enquirer 

"  Should  stand  as  the  book  of  the  year." 

Washington  Star 

tf  The  most  talked  about  and  the  most  thought 
about  novel  of  the  year." 

San  Francisco  Bulletin 

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WHO   SHAKES   THE   PLUM   TREE? 

THE 
PLUM    TREE 

BY  DAVID  GRAHAM  PHILLIPS 


"A  novel,  peculiar,  and  entertaining  book." 

Vice-President  Fairbanks 

"Plot,  action,  vitality,  color,  make  'The  Plum 
Tree'  thrilling." 

Senator  Beveridge  of  Indiana 

"Well  written  and  dramatic,  as  might  be  ex- 
pected from  the  pen  of  Phillips.  * ' 

Senator  Depew  of  New  York 

" f  The  Plum  Tree '  impressed  me  as  contain- 
ing a  valuable  political  lesson." 

Former  President  Cleveland 

<<  <  The  Plum  Tree '  must  awaken  wide  inter- 
est and  produce  great  good." 

Governor  LaFollette  of  Wisconsin 

"  <  The  Plum  Tree '  is  fine." 

Paul  Morton,  President  of  the  Equitable 

Illustrated  by  E.  M.  Ashe 
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A  THOROUGHBRED  GIRL 


ZELDA  DAMERON 

By  MEREDITH  NICHOLSON 
Author  of  The  Main  Chance 


Zelda  Dameron  is  in  all  ways  a  splendid  and 
successful  story.  There  is  about  it  a  sweetness,  a 
wholesomeness  and  a  sturdiness  that  will  commend 
it  to  earnest,  kindly  and  wholesome  people. 

Boston  Transcript 

The  whole  story  is  thoroughly  American.  It  is 
lively  and  breezy  throughout — a  graphic  description 
of  a  phase  of  life  in  the  Middle  West. 

Toledo  Blade 

A  love  story  of  a  peculiarly  sweet  and  attractive 
sort, — the  interpretation  of  a  girl's  life,  the  revelation 
of  a  human  heart.  New  Orleans  Picayune 


With  portraits  of  the  characters  in  color 

By  John  Cecil  Clay 
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A  STORY  OF  TODAY 


ttc  MAIN  CHANCE 

By  MEREDITH  NICHOLSON 


The  Main  Chance  is  a  straightforward,  honest 
picture  of  the  life  of  today  in  a  wide-awake  western 
city.  It  leaves  with  the  reader  a  pleasant  impression 
of  a  type  of  people  and  a  phase  of  life  well  worth  a 
closer  acquaintance. 

The  New  Tork  Commercial  Advertiser. 

Mr.  Nicholson's  work  is  marked  by  wholesome 

humor,  convincing  realism,  admirable  diction,  bright 

sayings,  a  good  sense  of  proportion  and  artistic  finish. 

The  Chicago  Inter  Ocean. 

The  Main  Chance  is  a  romance  of  youth,  of  love 
and  of  success  honestly  won.  It  is  a  vigorous,  buoy- 
ant, cheering  story,  full  of  crisp  humor,  forceful 
charm  and  hard  common  sense.  It  is  American  to 
the  very  core.  The  Reader. 

We  recommend  it  for  its  workmanship,  for  its 
smoothness  and  its  sensible  and  pleasant  fancies,  and 
for  its  general  charm.  Tbe  New  Tork  Sun. 

With  six  illustrations  by  Harrison  Fisher 
I  zmo,  cloth.    Price,  £  1 . 50 


The   Bobbs- Merrill    Company,    Indianapolis 


"FULL  OF  ZEST" 


HEARTS    AND 
MASKS 

BT  HAROLD  MAC  GRATH 


Mr.  Mac  Grath  was  in  his  gayest  mood  when 
he  wrote  this  most  exhilarating  story,  full  of  the  zest 
of  life.  At  every  page  the  adventure  turns  an  un- 
expected corner.  The  elements  are  fascinating  :  a 
hunt-club  masquerade,  three  mysterious  dominoes, 
each  holding  as  a  card  of  invitation  the  ten  of 
hearts ;  a  romantic  episode  in  a  wine  cellar ;  the 
theft  of  a  gorgeous  necklace;  a  love  affair  begun  and 
consummated  within  eight  hours  under  extraordinary 
conditions.  Mr.  Fisher's  pretty  girls  and  manly 
men  make  a  fitting  accompaniment  to  the  merry  tale 
of  carnival  entanglement. 

1 2  Pictures  in  Color  by  Harrison  Fisher 
Decorations  by  Ralph  Fletcher  Seymour 

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GRACE  AND  PASSION  AND  SATIRE 

THE  SOCIAL 
SECRETARY 

The  New  Love  Story 
BY  DAVID  GRAHAM  PHILLIPS 


An  absorbing  novel  of  Washington  society, 
telling  how  a  clever  girl  "made"  the  social 
success  of  the  new  senator's  wife. 

There  is  a  tempestuous  love  story,  and  char- 
acter work  of  great  and  delightful  excellence. 

Mrs.  Burke  wins  affection  and  provides  amuse- 
ment by  her  naive  speeches,  shrewd  sense,  down- 
right sincerity  and  unvarnished  comments  on  Wash- 
ington society. 

Grace  and  passion  and  satire  flow  from  the  facile 
pen  of  Mr.  Phillips. 

A  very  beautiful  book,  with  eleven  full-page  illus- 
trations in  Photogravure  by  Clarence 

F.    Underwood. 

Decorations  by  Ralph  Fletcher  Seymour 
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//  is  fresh  and  spontaneous,  having  nothing  of 

that  wooden  quality  which  is  becoming 

associated   with   the   term 

"  historical  novel" 


HEARTS 
COURAGEOUS 

By  HALLIE  ERMINIE  RIVES 


"  Hearts  Courageous  "  is  made  of  new  material,  a  pic- 
turesque yet  delicate  style,  good  plot  and  very  dramatic 
situations.  The  best  in  the  book  are  the  defence  of  George 
Washington  by  the  Marquis  ;  the  duel  between  the  English 
officer  and  the  Marquis ;  and  Patrick  Henry  flinging  the 
brand  of  war  into  the  assembly  of  the  burgesses  of  Virginia 
Williamsburg,  Virginia,  the  country  round  about, 'and 
the  life  led  in  that  locality  just  before  the  Revolution,  form 
an  attractive  setting  for  the  action  of  the  story. 

With  six  illustrations  by  A.  B.  Wenzell 
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THF«  LIFE  AND  LOVES  OF  LORD  BYRON 

THE 
CASTAWAY 


"Three  great  men  ruined  in  one  year — a  king,  a  cad  and  a 
castaway.  *  * — Byron. 

BY  HALLIE  ERMINIE  RIVES 
Author  of  Hearts  Courageous 


Lord  Byron's  personal  beauty,  his  brilliancy,  his 
genius,  his  possession  of  a  tide,  his  love  affairs,  his 
death  in  a  noble  cause,  all  make  him  the  most  mag- 
netic figure  in  English  literature.  In  Miss  Rives' s 
novel  the  incidents  of  his  career  stand  out  in  ab- 
sorbing power  and  enthralling  force. 

The  most  profoundly  sympathetic,  vivid  and  true 
portrait  of  Byron  ever  drawn. 
Calvin  Dill  Wilson,  author  of  Byron — Man  and  Poet 

Dramatic  scenes,  thrilling  incidents,  strenuous 
events  follow  one  another;  pathos,  revenge  and 
passion ;  a  strong  love ;  and  through  all  these,  under 
all  these,  is  the  poet,  the  man,  George  Gordon. 

Grand  Rapids  Herald 

With  eight  illustrations  in  color  by 

Howard  Chandler  Christy 
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For  the  man  who  can  rejoice  at  a  book  that  is  not  trivial, 
For  the  man  who  feels  the  power  of  Egypt's  marvelous  past; 
For  the  man  who  is  stirred  at  heart  by  the  great  scenes  of 

the  Bible; 
For  the  man  who  likes  a  story  and  knows  when  it  Is  good. 


THE   YOKE 

BY  ELIZABETH  MILLER 

A  Romance  of  the  Days  when  the  Lord  Redeemed 

the  Children  of  Israel  from  the 

Bondage  of  Egypt, 


A  theme  that  captures  the  imagination:  Israel's 
deliverance  from  Egypt. 

Characters  famous  for  all  time:  Moses,  the 
Pharaoh,  Prince  Rameses. 

Scenes  of  natural  and  supernatural  power;  the 
finding  ot  the  signet,  the  turning  of  the  Nile  into 
blood,  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea. 

A  background  of  brilliant  color:  the  rich  and 
varied  life  of  Thebes  and  Memphis. 

A  plot  of  intricate  interest:  a  love  story  of 
enduring  beauty.  Such  is  "The  Yoke." 

Ornamental  cloth  binding.    626  pages 
Price  $1.50 


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LOVE,    POLITICS    AND    PELF 

THE 

GRAFTERS 

BY  FRANCIS  LYNDE 
Author  of  The  Master  of  Appleby 


One  of  the  best  examples  of  a  new  and  distinctly 
American  class  of  fiction — the  kind  which  finds  ro- 
mance and  even  sensational  excitement  in  business, 
politics,  finance  and  law.  The  Outlook 

Its  sweeping  sentences  fire  the  blood  like  new  wine. 

Boston  Post 

Telephone,  telegraph,  locomotive,  skirl,  click, 
thunder  through  the  pages  in  a  way  unprecedented 
in  fiction.  It  is  an  amazingly  modern  book. 

New  York  Times 

Virile,  with  the  rugged  strength  of  the  West,  The 
Grafters  is  like  the  current  of  a  deep  river,  vigorous 
and  forceful.  Louisville  Courier-Journal 

Illustrated  by  Arthur  I.  Keller 
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A   TALE   OF  THE   RAPPITES 

HEARTS' 

HAVEN 

BY  KATHARINE  EVANS  BLAKE 


The  love  of  a  man  for  a  maid  and  the  love  of  a 
parent  for  a  child  are  the  dominant  motives  of  Hearts' 
Haven.  These  two  loves  survive  the  mutations 
of  years.  They  are  stronger  than  heredity, 
stronger  than  loyalty  to  a  religious  leader.  They 
are  never  obliterated,  even  by  fanaticism.  And  at 
last  they  triumph  over  every  obstacle. 

The  setting  for  the  development  of  the  beauti- 
ful theme  is  the  Rappite  community  of  celibates  at 
New  Harmony. 

Seldom,  indeed,  have  the  conquering  impulses 
of  young  love  and  the  overriding  instincts  of  parent- 
hood been  expressed  with  such  searching  tender- 
ness and  such  intimate  reality. 

Six  pictures  in  color  by  E.  M.  Ashe 
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THE  SMARTEST  NOVEL  OF  THE  SEASON 

THE   MAN   ON 
'    THE   BOX 

BY  HAROLD   MAC  GRATH 


"  « The  Man  on  the  Box  '  is  the  smartest  novel 
of  the  season. ' '  St.  Paul  Dispatch 

"  *  The  Man  on  the  Box  '  is  vastly  exciting — 
and,  what  is  more,  it  turns  out  to  the  greatest 
satisfaction  of  all."  New  York  Times 

"  « The  Man  on  the  Box*  will  hold  any  audi- 
ence breathless."  Atlanta  Constitution 

"The  idea  is  novel,  the  situation  ingenious, 
and  the  humor  bubbling."  San  Francisco  Call 

The  pictures  by  Harrison  Fisher 
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OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


BY  THE  MARCH  KING 


PIPETOWN    SANDY 

BT  JOHN  PHILIP  SOUSA 


"  Sure  to  be  read  with  genuine  pleasure  by  all." 

New  York  Globe 

"Mr.  Sousa's  literary  quality  is  fairly  com- 
parable with  his  musical  gifts,  which  have  won  him 
many  admirers  and  a  unique  position  in  the  broad 
field  of  American  entertainment.  « Pipetown 
Sandy,'  his  new  novel,  is  a  rattling  story." 

Philadelphia  North  American 

"  The  master  of  music  is  also  the  master  of 
romance."  Minneapolis  Times 

tf  The  reader  rejoices  in  the  swiftness  and  vigor 
of  the  narrative. ' '  Philadelphia  Record 

"Pipetown  Sandy  is  a  boy  to  win  friends  by 
the  hundreds. ' '  Washington  Star 

Pictures  by  C.  L.  Hinton 
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"AN  ADMIRABLE   TALE." 

THE 

MILLIONAIRE 
BABY 

BY  ANNA  KATHARINE  GREEN 
Author  of  "The  Filigree  Ball" 

"This  stirring,  this  absorbing,  this  admirable 
tale."  New  York  Sun 

"A  thrillingly  sensational  piece  of  fiction — 'The 
Millionaire  Baby. '  "  St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press 

"  Certain  to  keep  you  up  to  the  wee  sma' 
hours."  Chicago  Journal 

"Handled  with  consummate  dexterity,  adroit- 
ness and  fertility  of  invention."  Brooklyn  Times 

"  A  detective  story  that  is  a  detective  story." 

Judge 

"  One  reads  from  page  to  page  with  breathless 
interest."  New  York  Times 

"  The  reader  is  kept  in  a  state  of  tiptoe  expec- 
tation from  chapter  to  chapter."  Boston  Herald 

"Anna  Katharine  Green  shows,  in  'The  Mil- 
lionaire Baby,'  a  fertility  of  brain  simply  marvel- 
ous. ' '  Philadelphia  Item 

Beautifully  Illustrated  by  A.  I.  Keller 
izmo,  |i.5o 

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THE 

UNIVERSfTY 


